Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hiatal hernia, and tinnitus was granted. A 10% rating for low back disability was also granted effective June 4, 2014. The addition of the Veteran’s dependent spouse to his VA disability compensation award began on July 1, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not occur during service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is therefore denied.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no nexus between the Veteran's cause of death and his service-connected conditions. The preponderance of evidence indicates that the Veteran's cause of death was due to end stage liver disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted, but his claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran had current tinnitus and established a link between it and service, while finding no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, type II diabetes mellitus, and diabetic neuropathy, prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. As such, TDIU is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether these conditions are causally related to the Veteran's military service. The claims were reopened due to new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus as the evidence did not show an increase in severity of preexisting conditions during active military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, so the claim is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's continuous symptoms since service separation meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been granted service connection. The initial rating for PTSD has been denied, but the appeal is remanded for further evaluation of this issue.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of June 25, 2015 for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. However, the Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, cervical spine disability, bilateral shoulder disabilities, bilateral elbow disabilities, bilateral wrist disabilities, and bilateral hip disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was previously denied, but new evidence has been submitted. The appeal is allowed to this extent and the case is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for vertigo are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted service connection, but his lumbar spine condition is denied. The Board has ordered a remand for further examination of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased evaluations for various conditions, including left ear hearing loss, traumatic brain injury residuals, PTSD with TBI, and migraine headaches. The remand requires obtaining outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied.,An effective date prior to February 13, 2015 for service connection of both tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss was also denied.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss before the Board could make a decision.