Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 20, 2014 was denied. From October 20, 2014, the Veteran received a 20 percent rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed because he passed away, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of his claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that no valid claim was filed prior to September 5, 2018.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in a previous IOM report regarding delayed-onset hearing loss, and an addendum opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for diabetes, and service connection for heart condition were all denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection or entitlement to an increased rating.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development, including scheduling a VA audiologist to provide an opinion on the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection, hearing loss evaluation, and TDIU due to unemployability based on his service-connected disabilities. The claims are being returned for further development.

The claim to reopen service connection for right knee disability is granted. The claims for increased ratings for left knee instability and osteoarthritis are denied, with the latter being remanded due to new evidence indicating ankylosis. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection for acquired psychiatric disability and TDIU are also remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and review due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's prostate cancer, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's initial claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied, with the effective dates set at October 17, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has not yet determined if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not establish a nexus to service, with continuity of symptoms also lacking. The Veteran's statements regarding onset were inconsistent.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further examination by an ENT to determine if they are related to service, specifically noise exposure during fueling jet engines.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss. The claim will be returned for a new examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence of acoustic trauma in service and that the earliest credible evidence of hearing loss is more than four decades after separation. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support delayed-onset hearing loss.

The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 80 percent from April 21, 2017 to July 29, 2019. The Board denied an increased rating as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected. The rating for metatarsalgia is denied.