Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of tinnitus and left ear hearing loss due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and opioid dependence have prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU is granted effective September 30, 2014. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's credible reports of in-service noise exposure and continued symptoms since service are sufficient to establish a continuity of symptomatology. The September 2015 VA examination was deemed inadequate due to its failure to consider relevant evidence.

The Board has remanded several claims for additional development due to the receipt of new treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and right ear hearing loss disability.,However, the increased rating claims for shin splints with chondromalacia of the knees (right and left) are remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is a reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and thus granting his claim.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as the combined rating does not meet the schedular criteria, and a referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension for an extraschedular TDIU determination is required.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected due to exposure to loud noise during active duty, with continuous symptoms since separation.,Service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine is granted based on chronic disease presumptive under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b) and continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and therefore his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as he did not have worse than Level IV hearing loss in each ear, so bilaterally. The RO confirmed and continued the existing 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's hearing acuity has been measured at Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear throughout the appeal period, resulting in a noncompensable (0%) disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided that a new VA examination is needed to assess the current level of severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing the disabilities were incurred in or aggravated by service, with particular emphasis on the absence of documented complaints or diagnoses during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and histoplasmosis lung infection status post partial lobectomy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA’s tables for rating hearing loss disabilities or the General Rating Formula for Mycotic Lung Disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating for hearing loss in both ears due to unclear audiometric testing results and the need for updated evaluations.