Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of documentation showing that the Veteran received notification for a VA examination. The claims will be returned for another attempt at obtaining an examination.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease. Other claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the inadequacy of the November 2019 VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's right hearing loss disability is not supported by the evidence of record.,There is no current diagnosis or treatment for a right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, or cervical spine disability (degenerative disc disease).,The Board finds that service connection for these conditions cannot be granted as there is insufficient evidence to establish the presence of a current disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and an initial compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability in either ear.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not been shown to preclude substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a sleep disorder, GERD, colon disorders, headache disorder, diabetes mellitus type II (DM), eye disorders, low back and neck disorders, erectile dysfunction, right and left carpal tunnel syndromes. The decision also denied reopening of the claim for hypertension.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be causally related to his active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus disability is found to be causally related to his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but has remanded the issue of service connection for Hodgkin's lymphoma due to inadequate reasoning in previous VA opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that he does not have a current diagnosis of this disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service and that his current hearing loss is not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD has been denied. The claims for effective dates earlier than March 25, 2015, for the grant of service connection for these conditions have also been denied. The claim for COPD has been reopened due to new evidence submitted. Service connection for tension headaches is granted. Service connection for a back disability and high cholesterol are denied. Service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder disabilities as well as disabilities manifested by left and right hand numbness are not established. The Veteran's TDIU claim related to PTSD is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no increase in severity beyond normal progression during service, and the Veteran did not have a pre-existing condition that worsened due to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a dispute over when the Veteran's TDIU should have been granted, and will be reviewed by the Director of Compensation Service for an extraschedular determination.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the lack of adequate audiological examinations in the record, and a new VA examination is required.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the lack of a current disability during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, and there are no manifestations not contemplated by this rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) is remanded as the evidence does not meet the requirements to establish service connection based on fear of hostile military activity.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not render him incapable of securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, both related to in-service noise exposure. Service connection is denied for prostate cancer due to lack of onset during service or within one year post-discharge.,The Veteran's current prostate cancer was diagnosed many years after service discharge.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, bilateral arm, lumbar spine, and myositis of the paralumbar spine muscles disabilities. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have also been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes and peripheral vestibular vertigo have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking the conditions to service, with a focus on the lack of in-service exposure to chemicals that could cause these conditions.