Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, major depressive disorder, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury or residuals thereof, and right ear hearing loss due to various reasons including failure to report for VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically whether it is related to service or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus.

The appeals regarding the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension have been dismissed as all remaining issues were withdrawn in a December 2020 appellate brief. The appeal for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) has been granted from June 14, 2011.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it began in service and has continued to the present. However, his bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating prior to August 1, 2020, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the audiometric test results.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent since December 3, 2019. The claim for a higher rating prior to that date remains denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and exophytic cyst of the right kidney has been granted. The effective date is not specified as it is the earliest possible.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is causally related to noise exposure during military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated at 40 percent effective November 19, 2020. This rating remains in effect as of the date of the private audiological examination.

The Veteran's initial 70 percent disability rating for service-connected panic disorder without agoraphobia is granted. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and low back disorder, as well as the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's gastritis, claimed as secondary to medication used for his service-connected disabilities, is denied as not caused or aggravated by the medications.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, including recent audiometric results and any private treatment records. The Veteran needs a new VA examination for his hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for further examination.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding ratings for left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, as well as bilateral hearing loss due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder and sleep apnea have been granted. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus remain at their current levels, with no higher ratings available.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting opinions.

Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Tinnitus was not linked to service, as the Veteran reported it began during service but there is no documented history or treatment for tinnitus in service records. Bilateral hearing loss was also not linked to service based on a thorough VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate VA examination opinions. Additional development is needed, including obtaining private treatment records and providing an addendum opinion that addresses the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s conditions.