Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected, with a grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss denied.,Prior to January 8, 2020, the Veteran's cervicogenic tension-type headaches are not rated higher than 30 percent. Effective from January 8, 2020, his disability rating is increased to 50 percent.,TDIU was granted prior to November 2, 2015.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that his current audiometric results do not warrant a higher rating.

The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is granted. Service connection for PTSD and tinnitus are also granted. The claim for service connection for a back condition and bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and the claim for a compensable evaluation is denied.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion from the VA examiner regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, including its relationship to service and noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The cases of back and neck disabilities, TBI, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for residuals of a left arm injury, hearing loss disability, and lymphatic abnormalities due to insufficient evidence or conflicting findings.

The Board has remanded the claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities on an extraschedular basis prior to March 10, 2018. The Veteran's PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are considered in determining his unemployability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issues of service connection for hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings need more evidence, specifically medical records from his VA treatment at West Haven VAMC.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, hypertension, and nephrosclerosis due to incomplete development of records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete evaluations, conflicting opinions, and need for additional development. The claims will be reviewed again with new medical evidence.

The petition to reopen the previously denied claim for entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The petition to reopen the previously denied claim for entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is denied.,New and material evidence having been received, the claim for entitlement to service connection for a skin condition is reopened.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 20 percent effective November 17, 2016. Prior to this date, the rating remained noncompensable.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as non-compensable throughout the appeal period, with pure tone thresholds and speech recognition scores indicating Level II in the right ear and Level I in the left ear. The Board found no evidence of more significant functional loss warranting a higher evaluation.

The Board has denied the claim for increased rating of bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for earlier effective date(s) for MDD with GAD and an increased rating. The Veteran's MDD is currently rated at 70%.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically addressing the conversion of the 1966 audiogram results from ASA units to ISO-ANSI.