Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's combat service during the Korean War.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The issues of service connection for various disabilities are now pending.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the March 2019 remand directives and thus, another remand is necessary for obtaining a specific audiogram from February 21, 2017 and providing the Veteran with an additional VA examination to assess all residuals of his service-connected mandible fracture.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate examination reports. The Veteran's MOS was combat engineer, and he had in-service noise exposure from explosives, grenades, rifles, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and Howitzers.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an incorrect standard applied in a previous examination. The Veteran must provide any relevant private treatment records, and VA will attempt to obtain them on his behalf.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding insufficient competent evidence to support a nexus between his current hearing loss and military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, benign prostate hypertrophy, and left ear hearing loss are being remanded due to new evidence received since the last final decisions. The claim for right ear hearing loss is also being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable rating for left metacarpal fracture. The Veteran did not have a diagnosed bilateral ear hearing disability, and his left metacarpal fracture was found to be non-compensable due to lack of evidence of arthritis or effective function remaining.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection for sick sinus syndrome with pacemaker and evaluation of lumbar disc disease. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and a stroke, as well as his claim for TDIU due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.,Specifically, the Board requested an addendum opinion on the etiology of the Veteran’s sleep apnea, addressing whether it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by any service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and rating determinations. The Veteran's hearing loss and shoulder disability are not currently shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the hearing loss claim due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were granted with effective dates of October 17, 2014.,However, the Board denied earlier effective dates as the date of entitlement was prior to October 17, 2014.

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

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and other conditions that have rendered him unable to maintain gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability due to an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran's STRs showed normal bilateral hearing throughout service, but he had post-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for headaches is granted, but not with an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for tinnitus and TDIU were denied as there was insufficient evidence to support the severity of his conditions, and he did not meet the criteria for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to December 3, 2019.,From December 3, 2019, the claim for TDIU is moot as the Veteran is in receipt of the maximum allowable benefit.