Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has readjudicated the claim and found that new evidence supports reopening of the claim, but still denies service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of a nexus between current disability and service.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for right ankle disability, and service connection for right foot condition have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a causal relationship between the current conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty to assist error in obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability rating, and he has been granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as non-compensable due to the results of a July 2019 VA examination, which showed Level I hearing acuity in both ears.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of chronic hearing loss in service or within a presumptive period. The Veteran's reported symptoms did not align with contemporaneous medical records and were noted to be outside the applicable presumptive period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of PTSD and bilateral foot disability, as well as service connection for various conditions, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for PTSD or bilateral foot disability.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for high blood pressure and sleep apnea, as well as the increased rating claim for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current claims are being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of service connection for left foot disability due to lack of VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is service-connected, as it had its onset during his active duty service and is related to acoustic trauma experienced while serving in the United States Army.

Your claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been granted, but the appeal is dismissed as there was no further appeal filed after the August 2019 rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and TDIU prior to November 23, 2012. The evidence did not establish that his current disabilities were related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD rated at 50%, resulted in a combined rating of 90% from October 13, 2016 to October 13, 2017. The Board granted a TDIU rating for this period based on the severity and cumulative effect of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no demonstrated link between his military service and his current hearing loss.

The Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss were evaluated, but neither condition was found to warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any current disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran's right elbow disability is granted service connection, and the Board also remanded cases for increased ratings and service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure, as there is insufficient evidence regarding their onset during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no nexus between his in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss. The first indication of hearing loss was found to be in December 2015.

The appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus is dismissed. The October 2014 Notice of Disagreement was timely regarding the November 2013 and February 2014 rating decisions, but the June 2018 NOD was not valid as it raised issues that had never been adjudicated before.