Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, anxiety (acquired psychiatric disorder), right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, back disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, tinnitus, and headache disorder have all been denied. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a link to active duty service.,The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, anxiety (acquired psychiatric disorder), right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, back disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, tinnitus, and headache disorder are all denied. The evidence does not show current disabilities or a link to active duty service.

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 denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issues of service connection for respiratory disability and rating for residuals of an infection of the right long finger.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been reopened. The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examination regarding the private audiograms.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are due to in-service acoustic trauma. The decision is based on credible evidence of symptoms since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased PTSD rating, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and right knee strain were granted. The claim for left knee strain was denied. The back condition is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature of the Veteran's hearing loss at entry into service, and whether his current hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service.

The appeal of the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.,An effective date earlier than May 24, 2012, for the grant of TDIU is denied because the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU prior to that date.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on several service-connected disabilities have been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded cases involving the Veteran's left shoulder, lumbar spine, and lower extremity disabilities due to new evidence. Additionally, a TDIU claim is being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with other claims.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied for hearing loss, PTSD, and hypertension. The appeal seeking to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for schizophrenia was granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral hearing loss and coronary artery disease, and the Board dismissed these appeals.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable, with the most recent evaluation showing Level II in the right ear and Level IV in the left ear. The Board found that this level of hearing acuity does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during his twenty-year Air Force career.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, PTSD with depressive features, diabetes mellitus, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active duty service.,Service connection was also denied based on the presumption in favor of chronic diseases or continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right ear growth are granted as service connected, with the evidence being at least in equipoise regarding their onset during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has found that additional development is needed regarding the Veteran's employment status and the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability. The case is being remanded for further clarification.