Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hearing loss and tinnitus as there is insufficient rationale provided by the VA examiner regarding their relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of high blood pressure, foot/nail fungus condition, and initial compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence not previously reviewed by the RO.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 20% rating from September 28, 2017 to October 15, 2019. The appeal is denied for any other period on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability but granted service connection for tinnitus. The decision found no causal relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his active duty service, while finding it at least as likely as not that he developed tinnitus during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and an initial compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss prior to June 5, 2019, as well as a higher rating thereafter. The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or chronicity of care post-service that would support service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection. The Veteran's COPD, presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange), remains under review.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is established based on current disability and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded because it is inextricably intertwined with his application for an increased rating for newly service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant withdrew it.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence meeting VA criteria for a current disability. The case is remanded to attempt to obtain relevant private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and his military service, including noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic bilateral tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions were incurred during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need to locate audiometric evaluation results from 2005 and 2010.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and ratings have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of all issues by his authorized representative.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence of a current disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, lung disorder (COPD), heart disorder (coronary artery disease), and back disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral hearing loss due to inconsistencies in audiometric findings throughout the Veteran's military career. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered related to his active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient reasoning in the VA examination report.

The Veteran's COPD and bladder cancer are not related to service, as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The Board finds that the Veteran has not provided sufficient medical evidence to support a direct relationship between his current disabilities and service.,PTSD was granted based on the Veteran's reported stressors in Vietnam, with the VA psychiatrist confirming the diagnosis.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied both claims. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied because there is no evidence that it began during or was caused by his military service.,However, the claim for tinnitus was granted as the Board found reasonable doubt in favor of a link between the Veteran's tinnitus and noise exposure during service.

The Board denied DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, concluding that fatigue from treatment for prostate cancer did not substantially or materially contribute to his death.