Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, including a lack of adequate audiological examination and discussion of his claimed in-service head injury.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to February 18, 2020 was denied. A subsequent increase in the rating to 80 percent effective from February 18, 2020 is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and a new rating of 50 percent is granted effective March 30, 2012.,A rating in excess of 10 percent for migraine headaches was dismissed as moot due to the restoration of the 50 percent rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not initially manifest during or within one year of active service and is not otherwise related to active service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability due to new evidence received since the last final denial. The underlying claim of service connection remains pending.

The Board has granted a TDIU rating from January 15, 2020. The case is remanded for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU for the period prior to January 15, 2020.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate and requires additional medical opinions to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury, mastoiditis in the right ear, and acute serous otitis media of the right ear were all granted. However, his claim for left ear hearing loss was denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of diabetes mellitus. The remaining issues have been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to failure to notify and schedule an audiological examination for the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran is required to cooperate in scheduling this examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient reasons and bases for its reliance on a September 2016 VA examination report. The examiner needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing all arguments in the Joint Motion for Remand (JMR).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not reopened, but his claim for tinnitus was reopened. His claim for pulmonary fibrosis is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding potential exposure to asbestos, TCE, and herbicide agents.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the claim for an initial compensable rating is denied.,The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is currently rated at 10 percent from February 9, 2020. The claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent from February 15, 2019, and the claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent from February 9, 2020 are both denied.,The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is rated at 10 percent from February 9, 2020. The claims for increased ratings to higher than 30 percent from February 15, 2019 and to higher than 10 percent from February 9, 2020 are both denied.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, gastrointestinal disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for service connection for hypertension was granted with a 30 percent disability rating effective November 30, 2020. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher disability rating for his hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected unknown febrile illness (claimed as malaria and cerebral malaria) is not active, resulting in no residuals other than the symptoms of epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis. The Veteran's epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis was rated based on its severity prior to September 9, 2019, and from that date onwards, a higher rating of 60 percent has been granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to exposure to herbicides in the Korean DMZ. The claim for hearing loss remains pending as there are insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hypertension and bilateral hearing loss disability due to incomplete examinations and lack of proper notification.

The Veteran's claims for right ear hearing loss, PTSD, and GERD were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as 50 percent disabling since January 18, 2019. The Board denied entitlement to higher ratings for the disability prior to that date.