Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's right foot condition is not service-connected.,Service connection for migraine headaches was granted as they are secondary to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for right hip disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, an initial rating greater than 70 percent for PTSD, and an increased rating greater than 10 percent for residuals of fragment wound to the left thigh. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to December 17, 2019 and greater than 40 percent thereafter is remanded due to inadequate VA examination. The examiner must clarify whether the Veteran's anxiety disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection related to a head injury, back wound, bilateral hearing loss, and loss of teeth have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a left ear hearing loss disability and concluding that his right ear hearing loss did not originate in service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder (secondary to a left knee disorder), left shoulder disorder, and sinusitis due to insufficient examination opinions addressing the Veteran's contentions regarding in-service onset and continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, diabetes mellitus type II, and coronary artery disease (CAD) as the evidence did not show a relationship to service.

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

The Board has remanded the claims for left and right ear hearing loss due to outstanding VA audiometric data that needs to be obtained.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for bilateral ear hearing loss, right hip condition, and left knee condition are inadequate. The claims must be remanded to obtain new opinions from appropriate VA examiners.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination by an otolaryngologist (ENT) to determine the nature and etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as their relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and requests further examination and opinion regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforation, and otosclerosis. The claims of tympanic membrane perforation and otosclerosis are also referred back to the AOJ.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation during service and that the current conditions were not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and right knee patellofemoral syndrome, as well as her service connection claims for a bilateral ankle condition (presumed due to Gulf War exposure) and left knee condition are all remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability is rated as noncompensable (0 percent) due to the results of a June 2017 VA examination, which showed average hearing thresholds and speech discrimination scores that do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not been shown to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

The appeals for service connection for a back disability, tinnitus, and hearing loss are dismissed. The appeal for initial compensable rating prior to February 13, 2020, for the service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis is remanded.