Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient rationale in the August 2017 VA medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing impairment is related to his in-service noise exposure. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to July 2017 is granted.,The issue of entitlement to an extraschedular rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss during the entire period on appeal is dismissed as the Veteran has been granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates for his service-connected disabilities is dismissed as the earliest possible effective date, January 1, 2019, has already been assigned.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, finding that it was incurred during active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there is no competent evidence of a current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of urethro-prostatitis is granted. The claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU due to incomplete records, including a missing audiogram from 2016. The RO is instructed to obtain these records and any updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination and an opportunity for his representative, the Texas Veterans Commission, to file arguments in support of the claim. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and initial rating for right ankle disability are also 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 active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as the disability has been manifested by a hearing acuity of no worse than Level II in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted at a 10 percent level from June 30, 2009, through November 11, 2011, and from March 8, 2016, to October 13, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in relying on a VA examination report that did not address the Veteran's in-service otitis media, which could have caused his current hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial rating greater than 30 percent for PTSD and a disability rating greater than 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, as well as the claim for TDIU. The Veteran's representative withdrew representation prior to the June 2020 recertification.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's hearing loss started in service and has continued since service.

The Board has not provided a compensable rating for the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss prior to November 6, 2017 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter. The decision is remanded due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus, headaches, and psychiatric disorder, render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis effective September 2, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, sleep apnea, and a cervical spine disability are granted. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is not reopened. Service connection for tinnitus is denied. An evaluation in excess of 20 percent for left foot contusion residuals with pes planus and lumbar scoliosis with sprain is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases of entitlement to an increased rating for a bilateral hearing loss disability and entitlement to a TDIU prior to May 8, 2019 due to incomplete records. The Veteran's hearing loss disability is currently rated at 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in a previous opinion regarding both direct and secondary service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran seeks service connection for his hearing loss, which he claims is related to active duty service and diabetes.