Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of assigning a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in the right ear due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current condition is not related to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 20, 2016 for the award of service connection for tinnitus was denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to insufficient rationale in the VA medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development and notification, as well as an incomplete VA examination. The Veteran's service records from his National Guard period need to be obtained for a new medical opinion on the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, specifically to obtain missing VA audiometric test results related to bilateral hearing loss and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability have been granted. The rating assigned is 10 percent for the right knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was granted effective November 3, 2017. The Board found that there is no earlier date of entitlement to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is approximately balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence showing a causal relationship between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death from congestive heart failure.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination and consideration of an extraschedular rating.

The Board has remanded two issues: 1) the evaluation of service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and 2) the issue of service connection for a sleep disorder secondary to PTSD. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to address these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's periods of qualifying service are unclear and requires further development to verify which portions were ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The AOJ must obtain addendum etiological opinions considering the comprehensive record, including the correct dates of all qualifying service, the correct MOSes, and the Veteran’s contentions.

The Veteran seeks TDIU prior to January 3, 2018. The Board previously remanded the case for a referral to the Chief Benefits Director or the Director of Compensation Service regarding whether TDIU on an extraschedular basis was warranted. The claim is being remanded again due to failure to substantially complete the remand directives.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable, with the most recent examination showing Level III hearing impairment bilaterally.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service. A new examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU effective April 1, 2013.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations. The issues of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, back condition, tinnitus, headache condition, COPD, stomach issues, and bilateral knee condition are being returned to the RO for further review.

The Board has remanded the cases of prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete information or need for additional medical opinions.