Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's skin disabilities and hearing loss disability with his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran was exposed to hazardous noise in service and that his current conditions are at least as likely as not related to this exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have begun in service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision. The case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including mood disorder, anxiety, depression, iatrogenic hypospadias, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension. The decision is pending further development.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the death of the Appellant, as it does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board's decision granting a 30 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been vacated due to an error in the calculation of the results from a January 2016 audiological examination. The motion to revise this decision on clear and unmistakable error is therefore moot.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he has been employed part-time since August 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for additional treatment records from a private Hearing Center.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and all issues on appeal are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to evidence of worsening since the last VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for consideration of new evidence received after the February 2020 SOC, including updated VA treatment records from May 2020, July 2020, and March 2021. The AOJ will consider this additional evidence in the first instance.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes, coronary artery disease, prostate cancer, acinic cell adenocarcinoma, hypertension, and bladder disorder are denied as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease that is related to these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a hearing loss disability or tinnitus during service or within one year after separation. The VA examiner concluded that the current hearing loss and tinnitus were less likely related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development, including obtaining audiogram results and VA medical records. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the increased evaluation issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his active service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a left leg fracture. The Veteran's skin condition (acrochordon) was not addressed as it is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.,Service connection was denied because the evidence did not support that any of these conditions began during or were otherwise related to service.

The Board has reopened the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence received since a final December 2007 rating decision. The remaining issues on appeal, including those related to back disability and other conditions, are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.