Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and an adjustment disorder) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's hearing loss was not shown to be related to service or aggravated by service, and her psychiatric disorders were found to have other origins.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The case needs further development with an addendum opinion from an otolaryngologist.

The Veteran is granted a 60 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from November 21, 2017 to the present. The Board found that the January 2020 VA audiological examination was valid and showed severe hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection of residuals of traumatic brain injury. The Veteran's headaches are granted as secondary to his service-connected schizophrenia, but tinnitus and hearing loss are denied. PTSD with anxiety is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right hand numbness and bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability manifested by these conditions.,Service connection cannot be granted because the Veteran does not have a currently diagnosed right hand numbness or bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing a current disability during service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for TDIU, were all denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board dismissed the appeal as the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted in an August 2020 rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his hearing acuity has consistently been at Level II, which corresponds to noncompensable ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current disability of bilateral hearing loss at any point during the pendency of the claim, and the evidence does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate VA examination and other issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate VA examination regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss. The examiner must provide a rationale for all opinions in detail and address the Veteran’s reports of experiencing hearing loss during service.

The Veteran is seeking a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to January 28, 2020. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining an audiologist's opinion on the severity of his condition since October 2010.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current diagnosis and in-service noise exposure. The separation audiogram showed better than normal results with some frequencies in the negative range.

The Veteran's GERD is not service-connected as it did not begin during service and is not related to her service-connected disabilities or medications used for those conditions.,Service connection has been granted for left ear hearing loss, with a rating of 20 percent effective from August 25, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.,The Board finds the evidence of record is at least in equipoise on the question of whether the service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus preclude the Veteran from securing and following substantially gainful employment for which he would otherwise be qualified.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has ordered a remand to obtain updated medical opinions addressing this issue.