Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The right hip pain is remanded due to inadequate examination, and the PTSD claim is also remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The evidence did not support a higher rating as his hearing loss is currently rated at Level VII in the right ear and Level V in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claim of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities for further adjudication, including consideration of combined impact on multiple disabilities and current occupational capacity.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes.,Tinea versicolor was initially granted an initial rating in excess of 10 percent, but not higher than 30 percent from February 22, 2017. The Veteran had intermittent systemic therapy required for more than 6 weeks during the past 12-month period.,The Veteran's tinea versicolor is rated at 30 percent effective from February 22, 2017.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss. However, a remand is necessary as the July 2014 VA examination did not provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran’s tinnitus is secondary to his service-connected sinusitis.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining more recent treatment records and scheduling a VA examination that conforms with federal regulations regarding evaluation of hearing impairment.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for residuals of broken left index finger, bilateral hearing loss disability, and scarring as a result of MRSA infection is denied. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus remains denied.,A new VA examination is required to determine the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's combined total disability rating is 90 percent, meeting the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus) render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment. His TDIU is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left ear hearing loss, finding that it is etiologically related to in-service acoustic trauma and meets the requirements of presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for right hand condition, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and PTSD were granted. The petitions to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.,Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. Service connection was not granted, as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for hearing loss in his right ear. Increased ratings for left ear hearing loss and PTSD were also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are due to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is equipoise of evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The AOJ is required to review the additional VA treatment records associated with the case file.