Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right and left knees due to potential secondary service connection with the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD is now rated at 70 percent, effective April 24, 2019. The other claims remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss and his military service.

The Veteran's asthma is granted service connection. The claims for PTSD, lumbar spine strain with degenerative disc disease, TBI, migraine headaches, vertigo, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted, and that a compensable rating for hypertension prior to December 17, 2015 is remanded due to new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion and requesting tax returns from the Veteran. The issues of service connection for herniated cervical disc, earlier effective date for lumbar spine w/ bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, neck, hearing loss, tinnitus and basal cell carcinoma scar, and entitlement to TDIU are being remanded.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied the claim for service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate rationale in a previous VA examination for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's service connection claim is now pending and requires further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have current bilateral hearing loss that meets VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable initial rating for osteochondral fracture right patella, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for a sleep disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted, showing a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss. However, the claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, upper right extremity neuropathy, and upper left extremity neuropathy are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete VA Form 21-4142 submissions regarding treatment records from the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC).

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing disability was not related to his military service due to lack of evidence of in-service noise exposure and no showing of chronic hearing loss during service.

The Board has determined that more development is necessary before final adjudication of the claims on appeal, including scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorder (PTSD) and foot disabilities. The issues of entitlement to service connection for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, heart disability, bilateral hearing loss, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), as well as whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen these claims are all remanded.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran, who passed away in June 2017. As there is no surviving appellant, the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in loss of use of a lower extremity, blindness, or full thickness burns. Therefore, he is not eligible for financial assistance for specially adapted housing.

The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the submission of new and material evidence. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, but his service treatment records showed no shifts in threshold levels from enlistment to separation and he had essentially normal hearing at the 2008 VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was reopened and granted. He also received SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically focusing on whether it is related to service and if any increase in right ear hearing loss during service was due to its natural progression.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim of service connection for PTSD due to conflicting evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disability.