Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the conditions are related to active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's hearing loss increased rating claim for additional development, including a new examination and consideration of whether referral for extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and skin disorder have been granted. The rating assigned is 30% for insomnia.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected. The Veteran's PTSD is not rated higher than 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and rating of bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence not being material to reopen sinusitis, ocular pressure and compromised vision, and elevated cholesterol claims. The hearing loss claim remains in a REMANDED status.

The Board has denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as it is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The low back disorder, right shoulder disorder, bilateral hearing loss, urinary disorder, and prostate cancer claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and granted due to new evidence submitted, which suggests a relationship between the condition and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, and pes planus. The Veteran's claims were based on in-service noise exposure.,Service connection was not granted as the evidence did not show a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including left and right foot disabilities, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision is based on the need for additional medical opinions and the retrieval of outstanding treatment records.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary for the Veteran to undergo examinations and obtain additional medical records, as well as for further consideration of his claims.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as not related to service, with the Board finding that there was no evidence of noise exposure causing these conditions.,PTSD was also denied due to insufficient evidence linking it to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new VA treatment records, incomplete service personnel records, and a missed VA examination. The Veteran's hearing loss claim will be reconsidered with these additional pieces of evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to failure to appear at VA examinations. The examinations will be rescheduled using alternate means, including home visits or fee-based providers.

The Board dismissed all issues related to service connection and rating for various conditions due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was rated at 0 percent from October 20, 2009 to March 25, 2014; 20 percent from March 26, 2014 to October 9, 2018 and 0 percent as of October 10, 2018. The Board found no evidence supporting higher ratings for the disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disabilities, finding that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was present at entry and increased in severity during his honorable active duty service. The right ear hearing loss disability was not noted at entry but developed during service.

The Veteran's service connection for right and left ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a compensable degree of disability during service or within the initial post-service year, and his current hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to conflicting opinions from VA examiners regarding his hearing loss, radiculopathy, and lumbosacral spine disability. Further examination is required.

The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma, right ear, right ear hearing loss as secondary to the cancer, and loss of right ear as secondary to the cancer. The cancers are not considered service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that her audiometric test results did not meet the requirements for current hearing loss under VA regulations. The Board also found that there was no nexus between her tinnitus and in-service noise exposure.