Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected, with the latter being secondary to his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, upper respiratory disability, and Tietze’s Syndrome have all been granted. However, the claim for heart disability secondary to Tietze’s Syndrome is remanded.,Service connection has also been granted for Tietze’s Syndrome on a direct basis.

The Board has determined that the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives and the need for an addendum VA medical opinion.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus remains at a maximum schedular rating of 10%. A 20% rating for diabetes mellitus type II is granted from July 7, 2010 to November 21, 2011; and a 40% rating is granted from November 21, 2011. The Veteran's service connection claims for right shoulder disability, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and bilateral knee disability are remanded. An increased rating for PTSD and cataracts associated with diabetes mellitus type II is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus due to its inextricability with his pending hearing loss claim. The decision is not binding on other cases or precedential.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,Service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis is granted prior to June 16, 2017. From that date, the rating of 20% is maintained.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between current hearing loss and tinnitus and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected surgical scar, left shoulder, associated with status post left shoulder arthroscopic repair, was denied. The Board found that the current disability does not warrant a higher rating.,Service connection for the Veteran’s claimed left ankle condition was also denied as there is no evidence of any current disability related to this condition.

The claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied because the Veteran did not meet the criteria of being continuously rated totally disabled for at least 10 years immediately preceding his death.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to potential inadequacies in the medical opinions provided. The Veteran's current hearing loss is linked to noise exposure during active duty, but the VA examiner did not consider the conversion from ASA to ISO units or the significance of any threshold shifts between entrance and separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, COPD, back disorder, heart disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU are being remanded for further development.,VA treatment records from January 2018 need to be obtained.

The Board has granted a rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss effective April 18, 2018. Prior to that date, the claim was denied as there was no worse than Level II hearing loss in either ear.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, psychiatric disorder (including depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder), and PTSD is granted. The claims are based on aggravation of pre-existing conditions during military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the failure to appear for a VA examination and concerns about due process.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as the evidence did not support a finding that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been granted. The appeal regarding a compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss is being remanded.

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

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are causally related to his active duty. Service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of PTSD, TDIU, and hearing loss. The AOJ must obtain medical records, complete forms, and schedule a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since January 2010. The most recent VA audiological examination did not show any improvement in the severity of his condition, and thus he is denied an increased rating.