Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his disability warrants a noncompensable rating throughout the appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a heart disability associated with herbicide exposure and a compensable evaluation for his service-connected hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic heart condition or IHD in service and that the current heart disability did not pre-exist service. The hearing loss disability is currently rated as 0% (noncompensable).

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and asthma are denied.,Since new and material evidence has been submitted, the Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for a nervous condition is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 80 percent for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was found to be at Level II in the right ear and Level XI in the left ear, which warrants a 10 percent rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The Board denied an increase in the rating due to lack of schedular basis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Service connection was not granted for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or COPD. The Board found that the current disabilities were not incurred in or related to his active duty.

Your right ear hearing loss has been granted service connection, so your appeal for this condition is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection as they are related to his active duty service. The lumbosacral strain, bilateral foot disability, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's request for self-employment assistance through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) was granted. The decision found that the Veteran has a serious employment handicap due to his service-connected disabilities, which necessitated selection of self-employment as the only reasonably feasible vocational goal.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to service, including noise exposure. The Board denied both claims.

The Board has granted service connection for sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear, finding that symptoms were continuous since service separation and meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.303(b).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of adequate medical evidence in the August 2019 rating decision.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not necessitate the need for aid and attendance, as he is able to perform most of his daily activities independently.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to noise exposure.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure during his military service. The right ear hearing loss disability was not manifest during active service and is unrelated to service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, vertigo, and GERD due to conflicting evidence regarding the severity of his hearing loss prior to 1999, and insufficient consideration of whether he would have reported it during service. The issues are being remanded for further clarification and additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied because the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that it originated in service or within one year after service.