Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied as an effective date prior to May 8, 2013 is not possible because the service connection for the underlying disabilities occurred after that date.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions were dismissed. The claim of a disability rating greater than 70 percent for adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood was denied, but the Veteran received TDIU benefits.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because they passed away, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to October 26, 2016, as his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not cause the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, as his physical impairments are due to nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, particularly related to his in-service noise exposure and pre-existing right ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and right knee disorder due to additional development. The claims are being returned for further review.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss was granted. The claim of service connection for major depressive disorder was also reopened and granted.,The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) was granted, but the specific issue of service connection for PTSD remains unresolved.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability, which has prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. The case is remanded for obtaining private records related to the Veteran's treatment of his hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear otosclerosis and right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for TDIU prior to October 24, 2018 and from October 24, 2018. The decision found that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities but not during the period of a temporary total evaluation or since he received a combined schedular rating of 100%.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has also remanded the claim for entitlement to TDIU due to the need for additional information regarding the Veteran's employment history.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and the need for further development of evidence.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss from September 1, 1983, to January 18, 1988, and a rating in excess of 60 percent for bilateral hearing loss from January 18, 1988, to January 24, 2005, was denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim from July 24, 2017 through September 11, 2017 was denied because he had been working to a level of substantially gainful employment during this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease and bilateral hearing loss, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from September 19, 2005 to August 9, 2010. The Board granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

Your claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted, and the issue is now moot as it was fully resolved in your favor.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not originate in service or until years after separation from active duty.