Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss and etiology of his psychiatric disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, and remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, facial rash due to herbicide agent exposure, and headaches.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling VA examinations. Service connection for hypertension will also be considered based on conceded herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently manifested by no more than Level I hearing impairment in both ears, and the Board has determined that this does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate examination and reasoning.

The Board has denied service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as there is no evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional development and opinions regarding exposure to herbicide agents, delayed onset hearing loss, and psychiatric conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability as they are incomplete due to missing VA treatment records and lack of information on examiner qualifications.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 1, 2019 and from that date have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of notification regarding a scheduled DRO hearing and incomplete military service records. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss as there was no current disability at the time of the claim, despite evidence of a mild sensorineural hearing loss in one frequency during service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus disability, but the issue of an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's combined rating has been at least 80% since August 2010 and at 90% since June 21, 2012. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of June 21, 2012.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to concerns raised by a Joint Motion regarding the adequacy of the VA examiner's opinion.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable (zero percent) due to the presence of Level I hearing loss in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating under VA regulations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 30 percent since December 17, 2019. The appeal is denied as the current rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss was rated as noncompensable, with a Level I impairment and speech discrimination at 92 percent. The Board found the current rating accurately reflects his disability picture.