Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection as they are related to his in-service noise exposure.,The Veteran's deviated septum and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities were also granted service connection, with the latter being linked to his deviated septum.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his request for TDIU on an extraschedular basis was also denied.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not proximately due to or the result of service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation. The case is being remanded to determine if the Veteran is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability due to the lack of evidence showing current hearing impairment within VA's definition.,Service connection is granted for a right knee condition, with the condition being less likely caused by an in-service injury.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating for a bilateral hearing loss disability and service connection for hypertension, heart condition, skin condition, ear cellulitis (resolved), and otitis externa are being remanded due to the need for additional development of her VA medical records and clarification of her periods of active duty.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is being remanded as there is a lack of an adequate examination report. The examiner did not consider the Veteran’s assertion that her hypertension was caused by stress during active duty, nor did they provide an opinion on whether her hypertension aggravated preexisting conditions during periods of active duty.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition is being remanded as there is a lack of an adequate examination report. The examiner did not diagnose the Veteran with a heart condition and provided a negative nexus opinion based solely on the absence of a current diagnosis, without considering her symptoms or other evidence in the record.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin condition is being remanded as there are multiple inadequate examination reports. The September 2013 examiner did not diagnose any skin condition and indicated that no pathology was found during physical examinations, while the December 2015 and December 2017 examiners diagnosed intradermal nevi but failed to provide etiology opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for ear cellulitis (resolved) is being remanded as there are multiple inadequate examination reports. The September 2013 examiner did not diagnose any ear condition and indicated that the external ear, ear canal, and tympanic membrane were normal, while the December 2015 and December 2017 examiners diagnosed a history of external ear canal cellulitis but failed to provide etiology opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for otitis externa is being remanded as there are multiple inadequate examination reports. The September 2013 examiner did not diagnose any ear condition and indicated that the external ear, ear canal, and tympanic membrane were normal, while the December 2015 and December 2017 examiners diagnosed a history of external ear canal cellulitis but failed to provide etiology opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for diabetic retinopathy as the Veteran does not have this condition at any time during the period of his claim.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 15, 2016 was denied. As of September 15, 2016, the Veteran is granted a 10 percent rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include hearing loss, left leg condition, lower back condition, cervical spine condition (secondary to a lower back condition), acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), and sleep disorder.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss prior to May 24, 2017 and in excess of 80 percent thereafter was denied. The Board found that the objective audiometric testing consistently showed a noncompensable level of hearing impairment before May 24, 2017.

The Board has denied the reopening of claims for service connection for low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted service connection, while his right ear hearing loss remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but remanded the claim for right knee disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, loss of vision, and headaches due to outstanding service personnel records, incomplete service treatment records, and incomplete VA treatment records. The Veteran will be afforded a new VA examination in each case.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric evaluations did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection, but his left ear hearing loss is denied. His hypertension due to herbicide exposure is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 30 percent prior to November 27, 2018 for Meniere’s syndrome is denied. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as his symptoms do not include attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait occurring from one to four times a month or more than once weekly.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to uncertainty about the speech recognition percentages used in the January 2017 audiological examination.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not onset during or within one year after military service. The Board also found no evidence of noise exposure causing these conditions.