Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for eosinophilic esophagitis. The neck disorder, vision changes, and left ear hearing loss claims are remanded for further development. The Raynaud's syndrome rating is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the issue of a TDIU for the period from October 1, 2011 through April 11, 2017 to the VA Director of Compensation and Pension Service for adjudication under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board has denied service connection for a left hand condition, but granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's current diagnoses of these conditions are considered to be related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have caused him to be in need of regular aid and attendance, which has been granted for special monthly compensation (SMC).

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection as they are considered to be due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current hearing loss did not have its clinical onset during service, was not shown to be related to an in-service injury or disease, and the evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss. The examiner failed to consider the presence of a notch on audiograms, which may indicate noise-induced hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination and lack of evidence linking the Veteran's hearing loss to service. The Veteran will need a new VA opinion regarding his in-service noise exposure and MOS.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and lower extremity disabilities associated with Parkinson's disease, have resulted in the need for SMC based on loss of use of both feet and aid and attendance. The rating assigned is 50 percent.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as the Veteran does not have a current disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no competent evidence linking his current hearing loss to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss improved to warrant a rating reduction from 10% to 0%. The VA will need to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and reconcile conflicting CNC word recognition scores.

The Veteran's service connection claims for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Ischemic Heart Disease, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Lower Extremities, and Bilateral Hearing Loss have all been granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand.

The Board dismissed the appellant's claims for service connection for glioblastoma and bilateral hearing loss as she had withdrawn her appeal through her attorney.

The Veteran has withdrawn all claims on appeal, including those related to joint pains, bilateral hearing loss disability, TBI residuals, psoriasis, and other conditions. The Board dismissed these appeals as the Veteran's attorney requested withdrawal of all issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since October 2016, but the evidence does not support a higher rating as his hearing impairment is currently classified as Level II in the right ear and Level VIII in the left ear.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the condition was incurred or aggravated by service, including exposure to noise. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not considered related to his military service.,Service connection for polyuria and urinary urgency were also denied as there is no causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's in-service prostatitis.

The Board has granted service connection for major depressive disorder but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The decision on the latter issue is based on a finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or acoustic trauma resulting in current hearing loss disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the bilateral hands and a left ankle disability, to include as secondary to a service-connected disability or disabilities. The issues have not been resolved yet.