Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied, while his claim for tinnitus is granted due to continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board grants a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's tinnitus is caused or aggravated by his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss has prevented him from obtaining and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation since its effective date of May 30, 2002. The Board grants extraschedular TDIU effective May 30, 2002.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service and did not manifest within one year of separation from service.

The Board has decided that the claims for service connection are remanded due to new evidence being added to the file, and the Veteran wants the RO to review this evidence first.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claims are now pending for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions and concluded that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis is granted as service-connected, and his left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and sleep disorder are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations. The issues include a TBI with headaches, bilateral hearing loss, and nerve damage in elbows.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities, depression, and audiological disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined rating of his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected conditions, and therefore he cannot be granted service connection for the cause of his death. Additionally, he did not meet the criteria to receive burial benefits as a result of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of hearing loss within the first post-service year or a nexus between the disability and service. For diabetes, the Board found that the Veteran did not require regulation of activities as part of his medical management, thus precluding a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, heart condition, and Meniere’s disease (secondary to migraine headaches) due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran's service records do not show any indication of these conditions during or immediately after his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinion. The claim will be reconsidered with an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's current diagnoses, including consideration of secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no current disability or evidence linking the conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim was denied, and his chronic bronchitis claim resulted in a grant of a 30% evaluation effective July 19, 2016. His prior noncompensable evaluations were maintained.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of a medical nexus between current diagnoses and in-service noise exposure.

The appeals regarding service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.