Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and peripheral neuropathy have been remanded due to the need for further development. The claim for PTSD remains denied as it does not meet the criteria for a 70% or higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates have been dismissed. A rating of 50 percent has been granted for posttraumatic cephalgia with migraine headaches from September 19, 2011 to June 17, 2014.

The Board has remanded several claims due to the Veteran's failure to report for scheduled examinations. The claims include initial compensable ratings, service connection, and a claim for blurry vision with dizziness.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of the claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic cholesteatoma and left ear hearing loss, as well as the claim for TDIU prior to May 19, 2016. The case is referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of extraschedular evaluations.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing that the condition was incurred or aggravated by military service. The Veteran's entrance and separation examinations showed normal hearing, with improvement noted at separation.,For left ear hearing loss, the Board also denied service connection as there is no clear and unmistakable evidence that it preexisted service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety disorder, unspecified (claimed as PTSD), and bilateral hearing loss must be remanded due to missing service treatment records.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for hearing loss was granted. Service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus is denied.,Service connection for right hand trigger finger as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus is granted.

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

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and needs further evaluation by an otolaryngologist.

The Veteran's skin cancer, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus are all related to service.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's squamous cell cancer (skin cancer), left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability and right ear hearing loss, but denied service connection for right ear otitis media. The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss is related to his in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete examination reports and insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's service connection claims.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing acuity levels did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension have been dismissed. A 50% rating has been granted for migraine headaches.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service, including consideration of delayed-onset hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure. The case is remanded for further development regarding a compensable disability rating for service-connected residuals of bladder cancer.

The Board denied reopening and granting service connection for the Veteran's claimed lower back disorder, neck disorder, left ear hearing loss, and left leg disorder due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of all issues, including those related to service connection and evaluations for various conditions. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board denied a higher (compensable) initial rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not show that the severity of the disability met the criteria for a compensable rating at any point during the appeal period.