Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension claims are remanded for additional development. The decision on service connection is pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete verification of periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA). The Veteran's service connection claims are also remanded for a supplemental medical opinion from an appropriate clinician.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,Service connection for right shoulder disability and left shoulder disability are denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not rated higher than noncompensable (0 percent).,Service connection for CTS of the left upper extremity and right upper extremity, restless leg syndrome of the left lower extremity, and restless leg syndrome of the right lower extremity are all denied.,Service connection for hypertension is denied.,The Veteran's psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is not service connected.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied. The highest rating of 70 percent was granted as of January 6, 2021.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, and a TDIU on an extraschedular basis was granted from March 24, 2009 to June 11, 2014 due to his service-connected COPD.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including TBI, low back disability, knee and shoulder disabilities, nerve damage of upper extremities, urticaria, allergic rhinitis, chronic diarrhea, and left ear hearing loss. The Veteran will need new examinations for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a connection to service.,A TDIU from November 23, 2015 is granted due to the Veteran's service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was caused by or related to his military noise exposure during service. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and melanocarcinoma residuals were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have current disabilities related to his in-service noise exposure or encounters during deployment, and thus could not establish a nexus between these conditions and active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate examination report and a need for another VA examination to address whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was caused or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus.

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 giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his hearing loss, fatigue, sleep disorder, headaches, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, specifically noise exposure in the engine room.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as secondary to herbicide exposure, and his bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are both granted.,Prostate cancer is presumed service-connected due to herbicide exposure. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also granted based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's vertigo is related to his service-connected right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ear hearing loss was granted. The decision also reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of chronic right ear hearing loss during service or within a presumptive period following separation from service. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have continuity of symptomatology since service and that his current diagnosis was not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to her in-service noise exposure. The VA audiologist needs to provide a rationale for their opinion and consider the Veteran's statements about her service experiences.