Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction with heart transplant, and kidney disease status post kidney transplant as the appellant withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence in the August 2015 VA examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right eye disability, and entitlement to service connection for left eye disability. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and headaches, finding that there was no evidence showing a current disability or causation to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The appeals for initial compensable rating for the residuals of left gastrocnemius muscle injury and service connection for a low back disorder are remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to insufficient medical evidence. The main issues are left foot disability, lumbar spine disability (secondary to a left foot disability), lung disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hepatitis C. Additional records need to be obtained from SSA, VA examinations for left foot and noise exposure, addendum opinions on lung disability and hearing loss, and an addendum opinion on hepatitis C.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted his claim for TDIU from July 16, 2009.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent from July 27, 2017 forward. Prior to that date, the rating was noncompensable.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating and service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied, with the effective date of the award being April 4, 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during service, while his hearing loss is not related to service.

The Board is remanding the case for AOJ review of additional evidence received after the December 2017 Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand instructions, specifically regarding a VA medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, hypertension, and a psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression) have been granted. The claim for PTSD was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability, cervical spine disability, and dizziness/peripheral vestibular disorder due to incomplete medical opinions and outstanding records.