Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the Board finds insufficient evidence to establish service connection for right shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, and bilateral athlete's foot.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's statements regarding in-service noise exposure are credible. Service connection was denied for a bilateral hip disorder (other than lower extremity radiculopathy).

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, otitis media of the left ear, cholera, tuberculosis, hypertension, dysentery, kidney disability, a disability manifested by blood occult in the urine, an acquired psychiatric disability (including general anxiety disorder), and PTSD. The reopening is based on new evidence suggesting Agent Orange exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied in 2009 due to lack of evidence. The appeal was not timely filed, making the decision final. A new claim reopened on August 28, 2015 resulted in a grant of service connection for these conditions. As no earlier effective date is supported by law, the denial remains.

The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, as well as bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The VA will obtain any missing records, conduct a new examination, and provide opinions regarding the relationship of these conditions to service.

The Veteran's representative indicated that the Veteran’s hearing loss disability is 'far worse' than a previous VA examination. The Board finds this warrants a new examination to determine the current severity of the service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's surviving spouse was granted an effective date of October 1, 2011 for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits. The appellant also received a grant on her accrued benefits claim. Both decisions were made after the one-year period following the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's heart disability is not related to his military service, nor is it secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder and/or right radial nerve palsy.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is presumed due to noise exposure during his time in Iraq.

The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus is inadequate, and thus requires a new examination to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current separate diagnosis of depression and thus service connection for depression is denied. The claims for GERD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cancer of the tongue, and cancer of the head are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate examination findings. The VA examiner must provide a new opinion addressing whether it is at least as likely as not that any hearing loss or tinnitus had its onset in service or is otherwise related to her military service, including exposure to flight line noise without hearing protection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and residuals of shrapnel wounds to the left arm, right shoulder, and back were denied because no new evidence was submitted that related to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was denied due to a lack of verified in-service stressor.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities due to outstanding medical records and need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between the conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. A 10 percent rating is granted for left wrist tendonitis, and a 10 percent rating is also granted for right wrist tendonitis.,Service connection for bilateral ankle gout and bilateral knee disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and a need for additional VA examinations.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and military noise exposure. The Veteran did not have hearing loss at separation from service, and the expert opinion concluded that the lack of threshold shifts does not support a causal relationship to service.