Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the January 2020 VA opinion, which did not consider the Veteran's military occupational specialty and his lay assertions regarding hearing loss. The claim is being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions and potential exposure to herbicide agents. The hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, and foot disability claims are all being reviewed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete compliance with prior directives. The Veteran was exposed to acoustic trauma during service, but the evidence is unclear regarding his MOS and whether he served in an artillery unit.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not been shown to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has also been reopened.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right total knee replacement, left knee disorder, and temporary total evaluation based on convalescence following an April 4, 2017, right knee surgery. The issues of entitlement to initial disability ratings in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain and chronic nonsuppurative otitis media with right ear hearing loss are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no current disability due to disease or injury related to his military service.

The Board has dismissed all appeals for service connection as the Veteran withdrew his requests to appeal these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral foot condition and left ear hearing loss. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, but the current evidence does not meet the criteria for a disability in either case.

The VA has ordered that all outstanding treatment records be obtained, including those scanned into the imaging system. The veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded to allow for this.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service-connected. The Board has remanded several other issues for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss have been granted service connection. Service connection for type two diabetes mellitus, heart condition, prostate cancer, and right knee disability is denied.

The Veteran is granted a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from May 29, 2013 to May 8, 2018. A higher rating is not warranted prior to that date or thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bowel condition are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is granted as service connected due to exposure to noise during active duty, and the symptoms have been continuous since separation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, TBI residuals, and PTSD due to a lack of VA examinations. The cases are now pending further development.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a need for additional medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability. The matter is being remanded for an addendum medical advisory opinion to determine if the current right ear hearing loss is etiologically related to service and exposure to noise.