Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his back and knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for the period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases due to failed attempts in scheduling VA examinations for right ankle strain and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, radiculopathy of the left leg, radiculopathy of the right leg, erectile dysfunction (ED), and a disability manifested by frequent urination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since March 7, 2013. The Board granted the TDIU on an extraschedular basis effective from that date.

The Veteran's claims for vision impairment, an unknown disability due to chemical and asbestos exposure, and hearing loss have been dismissed.,An initial rating of 30 percent but not higher has been granted for residuals of right inguinal hernia.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted service connection. The back disability is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia has been granted service connection. The right shoulder condition, IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and bilateral hearing loss have been remanded for additional development.,The left knee condition remains pending as it requires an addendum opinion from the June 2014 VA examiner.

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for positional vertigo, which is secondary to service-connected otitis externa, needs further examination and opinion. The case is being sent back to the RO.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his audiometric results did not warrant a higher evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder strain and dismissed the remaining service connection claims due to lack of jurisdiction. The Veteran's right shoulder strain is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of evidence regarding the nexus between the claimed conditions and exposure to herbicide agents. The VA is required to obtain updated opinions from medical professionals.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss, including as secondary to left ear hearing loss is dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's continuous ringing in his ears since military service is a credible report. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no evidence of a significant threshold shift beyond normal measurement variability while in service.

The claims for service connection for sinusitis and right ear hearing loss have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. However, further examination is needed as the provided medical records are inadequate.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus was denied due to lack of new and material evidence, but his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted.,Service connection was established for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in the right ear. The other issues have been remanded due to incomplete or insufficient evidence.

The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date for the award of an 80 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, finding that no earlier effective date is warranted as there was no indication of worsening within one year prior to the claim.

The petition to reopen the previously denied claims for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension has been granted. The petitions to reopen the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and sleep apnea, secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.