Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions and records.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and major depressive disorder. The claim of service connection for left knee disability is reopened, but remanded for further development.

The Board has found that remand is warranted due to the need for an examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including exposure to noise from working close to flight lines and sapper/rocket attacks.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and assigned an initial noncompensable rating. The effective date of this award is October 9, 2008. Service connection for left ear hearing loss was also granted but with a noncompensable rating, effective from the same date.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and undifferentiated somatoform disorder, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to the need for an audiological evaluation and opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for testicular cancer and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The decision found no evidence linking the cancers to service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, and that the Veteran did not have a disability during service or within one year of separation. For his hearing loss, the Board noted that he was already receiving a 50% rating, which is considered a partial grant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty regarding whether the Veteran's hearing loss was caused by in-service acoustic trauma. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on this matter.

The Board has denied service connection for lower back injury, bilateral hearing loss, and right knee DJD. The claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected, but has found in favor of granting service connection for tinnitus. The right knee disability is remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for high blood pressure has been remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for private treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition, including cellulitis, boils and blisters, has been remanded due to inaccurate factual premises in the July 2015 VA examination and the need for an opinion on whether his skin condition is secondary to diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depression, has been remanded due to the July 2015 examiner's failure to consider the Veteran's contentions regarding combat-related nightmares and delayed treatment.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is proximately due to a service-connected disability (a post-operative left ankle injury).

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current bilateral tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection was denied for hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was initially rated as noncompensable prior to June 16, 2017. From June 16, 2017, the rating for his bilateral hearing loss was increased to 20 percent.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as these conditions were not shown to be related to service, including noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is restored to a 50 percent evaluation effective January 1, 2018. The appeal for increased evaluations in excess of the staged 10 and 30 percent evaluations are dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of current diagnoses. The case is remanded for further development.