Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for gastroesophageal disease and bilateral hearing loss disability due to lack of VA examinations. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for Barrett’s disease, status post removal of the gall bladder, and left ear hearing loss. The Board also remanded issues regarding scar on the abdomen (secondary to status post removal of the gall bladder) and bilateral tibial axonal neuropathy.,Service connection was not granted for any of the conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and military service.

The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted as his current hearing disability is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU from January 22, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the audiometric test results provided.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and chronic kidney disease due to procedural issues and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,For bilateral hearing loss, the Board found no significant change in hearing sensitivity during service, and there was no nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service. For tinnitus, the Board noted a 24-year gap between service separation and onset, and found no evidence of noise exposure causing the condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD prior to August 7, 2019 was granted with a 50 percent disability rating. The appeal for a higher rating from August 7, 2019 and the TDIU claim were both denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss on a presumptive basis due to continuous symptoms since service separation.

The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director, Compensation Service, for a determination under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) regarding entitlement to a TDIU prior to May 20, 1999, on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to their death during the appeal process.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for tibial tendonitis, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, right arm injury, and folliculitis prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for hearing loss, to include as secondary to service-connected tinnitus, is remanded due to inadequate reasoning in a previous VA opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in the March 2018 decision regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim is now pending again, and a new medical opinion is needed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence does not show that her hearing acuity warrants such a rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as Level I, resulting in a noncompensable rating.,The Veteran's hypertension was not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim requires additional development and a new VA examination to determine its etiology.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are granted as they are related to active service.