Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided are not sufficient to determine whether any diagnosed conditions are related to service. The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a skin disability were denied as the Veteran failed to report for VA examinations, and there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and service or presumed exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient compliance with previous directives and a need for another VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of service connection for hypertension was granted.,The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of service connection for left knee disability (previously characterized as bilateral knee disability) was denied.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was granted. However, the claim for service connection itself remains denied due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss. The claims for increased ratings for ischemic heart disease, left hand disability, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, and PTSD are all remanded for further development.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from September 19, 2014 to July 17, 2017 due to service-connected disabilities. The appeal for TDIU from July 17, 2017 is dismissed as lacking legal merit.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left ear hearing loss and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder have been remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD due to further development being needed, including obtaining additional audiometric test results and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because his substantive appeal was not timely filed, as it came in more than 60 days after the issuance of the Statement of the Case and more than one year after the notification letter.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of in-service evidence linking these conditions to her military service. The Veteran testified that she was exposed to noise during service, but VA records do not support this claim. A new VA examination is needed to determine if her current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to her military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his active service and granted service connection for it. However, the Board found no evidence to support a finding of bilateral hearing loss being related to service.

The appeal as to the claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is dismissed due to it having been granted in a prior decision.,The appeal as to the claim of entitlement to service connection for right broken leg is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are not of such nature and severity as to have prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's migraines are associated with his service-connected PTSD. His disability manifesting in memory loss, sleep problems, and night sweats is attributed to his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was granted a rating of 10 percent from July 29, 2014 to October 26, 2016.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria.,Service connection for lung disorder is remanded due to insufficient rationale in the previous opinions.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no current diagnosis of a disability for VA purposes.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is just as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure and acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's reduction of a 70 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss has been granted at a 20 percent level, effective from the date of claim. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is remanded.