Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart condition, skin condition, diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and depression. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is unclear, and further development is needed.

The Board has determined that additional evidence was added to the claims file without a waiver of AOJ consideration and is requesting its review. The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the initial compensable rating prior to June 7, 2017 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and treatment records, requiring further evaluation of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and any other identified right ear condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2014 VA examination and the use of a different speech recognition test in August 2018.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases for its denial of an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, specifically regarding the functional effects caused by the service-connected hearing loss and whether it is productive of dizziness. The Veteran needs a new VA audiological examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including herpes, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ureterolithiasis, and penicillin, sulfa drug, iodine, and latex allergies. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others were denied.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because they died during the pendency of their appeal, and no one is currently in line to file a claim on their behalf.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is not rated higher than noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted. The Board also considered an extraschedular evaluation but found no basis for such.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for TDIU due to heart disease and diabetes. Additional VA examinations are required.

The Veteran's hearing loss increased to a level that warranted a 10% rating starting from July 21, 2014. The effective date is set at this date because it was factually ascertainable that the increase occurred within one year prior to his September 3, 2014 claim for an increased evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied because the original intent to file a claim was not received until April 28, 2016.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder has been reopened and granted. The effective date is prior to November 9, 2006.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran contends that his hearing loss is related to military service, but the VA examiner concluded it was not at least as likely as not caused by or a result of noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 0 percent since August 29, 2006. The Board has ordered a remand to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD are both remanded due to the need for additional examination.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for right ear hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete development and needs a new opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is caused or aggravated by his service-connected left ear conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and PTSD have been rated as 30 percent and 50 percent disabling, respectively. The Veteran is granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.,Prior to June 15, 2018, the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss was rated at 30 percent; since then, it has been rated at 40 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board's decision.