Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as his service-connected hearing loss does not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 70 percent disability rating for PTSD, but has remanded the issues of increased ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, as well as TDIU.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by hearing acuity of no worse than Level III in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's death is being remanded due to the need for a VA addendum opinion regarding whether his service-connected bilateral hearing loss contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death, including dementia.,The Veteran's death is also being remanded due to the need for a VA addendum opinion regarding whether his death was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of skill, error in judgement, or similar instance of fault on the part of the VA contracted healthcare facility.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 50 percent since July 19, 2018. The appeal is denied for a higher rating prior to that date.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues regarding reopening service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus are not addressed as they were not decided.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the current condition is due to additional pathology acquired during service and not related to noise exposure in service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active duty service due to exposure to loud noise during combat.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, inguinal hernia, and hypertension have been denied. The Board found that the current noncompensable ratings adequately reflect the severity of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss.,Service connection for hypertension, a right ankle disorder, and residuals of hernia is remanded due to the need for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and vocational experience.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development due to the need for new VA examinations to assess his service-connected depressive disorder and bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate examination, and requests a new VA examination.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability is granted as incurred in service, and the issues of tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, and prostate cancer have been withdrawn.

The Board has dismissed all appeals related to service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss, shoulder impingement syndrome, muscle pain, joint pain, respiratory issues, and headaches. The Veteran withdrew the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II (due to herbicide exposure), tinnitus, heart disability, hypertension, neuropathy of upper and lower extremities, psychiatric disorder, vision loss, and erectile dysfunction. The appeal is granted only in relation to the reopening of the claim for diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbosacral spine disability and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing VA audiometry reports from specific dates. The Veteran's hearing loss ratings are currently staged at different levels since April 3, 2013.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied due to lack of evidence prior to the effective dates.,No service connection was granted, as no PTSD claim was addressed.