Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a spine disability, PTSD, and a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The issue of service connection for depression is remanded due to the Veteran's testimony indicating it may be related to his hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the lack of adequate audiometric testing records and the need for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. Prior to October 17, 2017, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. From October 17, 2017, he met the criteria for a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The Board found that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, thus granting service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection as it had its onset in service. However, the Veteran's Hodgkin's disease is denied service connection as there is no evidence linking it to his military service.

The Board has found that the appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is not warranted due to a lack of continuous total disability rating for at least 10 years prior to death and was not rated as totally disabled continuously since release from active duty. The appeal regarding service connection for cause of death has been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for basal cell carcinoma was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The Board found no new and material evidence.,Service connection for a sleep disability is denied as there is no evidence showing the Veteran has such a disability during his active duty or related to service.

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

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence for adjudication of the bilateral hearing loss claim. A new VA examination is required.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder) was granted.,For the entire period on appeal, the criteria for entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for a right ankle disability have not been met.

The Board has determined that the appellant's tinnitus is secondary to his service-connected right ear hearing loss and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his hearing impairment warranted such a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to potential service connection based on an autoimmune disorder possibly related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted, but the claim for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability prior to May 8, 2018 was denied as the evidence did not show that his hearing impairment was worse than contemplated by the currently assigned rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus should be remanded due to insufficient consideration of his lay statements regarding in-service symptoms. The case will be returned for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome, and eczema. The Veteran's claims were not granted as the preponderance of evidence did not support his assertions.