Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of an increased rating for PTSD due to evidence indicating a worsening since the last examination.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to incomplete audiometric results from a previous VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected disabilities, including mental health conditions, GERD, hearing loss, ankle and spine disabilities, as well as a heart disability. The RO has not yet addressed the earlier effective dates for these conditions and is remanded to do so.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disability, bilateral hearing loss, arthritis due to trauma with joint pain, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, right wrist disability, left wrist disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability are all granted. The service connection is determined to be direct.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's employability despite his service-connected disabilities. The case will be returned for further medical evaluation and a social and industrial survey.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting the VA definition of hearing loss.,Service connection for tinnitus has been granted based on continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment since January 23, 2012. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral leg disability, to include knee arthritis. The claim for service connection for a concussion, to include residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is remanded due to outstanding medical records.,Service connection was not granted as there is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or bilateral leg disability in accordance with VA standards and the Veteran's claims are based on direct service connection. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and its relation to service, specifically noise exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 50% disability rating, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The other issues are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability was reopened, and he is now entitled to a 10 percent rating for his fractured jaw disability. The issue of service connection for residuals of fracture of the left zygomatic arch with a patch of hypesthesia on the left cheek remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and remanded the hearing loss claim due to lack of VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims.

The Board has denied all service connection claims for various conditions, including nerve damage, tinnitus, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, right knee disability, carpal tunnel syndrome, gastritis, bilateral hearing loss, and fibromyalgia. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a lumbar spine disability, bilateral eye disability (including glaucoma and cortical cataracts), right ear hearing loss disability, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, and psychiatric disorder (PTSD).,For hypertension, the Board found that there was no evidence of a nexus between service and current hypertension.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability due to lack of new and material evidence, as the Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss was not aggravated during service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension were not incurred in service, but has remanded for further development to address these issues.

The Board has determined that there may be outstanding VA and private treatment records relevant to the Veteran's claims on appeal, including those from the 1970s and 1990s. The claims are being remanded for the purpose of obtaining these records.