Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's appeals for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, and lung disorder have been denied. The appeal regarding the temporary total rating for myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting status post coronary artery disease/atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has been dismissed.

The Board has denied the claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hearing loss in the left ear, finding that the evidence does not support a higher disability rating based on the appellant's audiometric test results.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for residuals of prostate cancer and bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 40% for the service-connected residuals of prostate cancer, which includes urinary frequency requiring absorbent materials changed two to four times per day.

The Veteran's hearing loss is granted as service-connected.,Colitis has been readjudicated and the claim will be reconsidered based on new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and acquired psychiatric disability due to duty-to-assist errors. The Regional Office must verify the Veteran's in-service stressor events, schedule a VA examination for his bilateral hearing loss, and obtain an opinion on the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and the issue of service connection for a heart condition (CAD) is remanded due to insufficient consideration of herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and hearing loss, as well as his request for nonservice-connected pension prior to March 28, 2018, were all denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, heart disorder, thyroid disorder, cirrhosis of the liver, and esophageal varices are all remanded for further development. The issues include service connection for these conditions.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing impairment was etiologically related to his active duty service. Service connection for bilateral tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of its onset during or immediately after service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, sleep disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence did not show a direct relationship between these conditions and his active-duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient examination reports.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current disability related to bilateral hearing loss at any time during the course of the appeal or approximate thereto, and thus cannot establish an essential element of the service connection claim.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right ear tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and military noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his in-service noise exposure. The appeals were decided on the merits.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the severity of his service-connected disabilities, as well as their relationship to service. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, OSA, degenerative arthritis of the knees, lumbosacral spine, and cervical spine.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) is denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, as they did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has found that new VA examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to determine if he is unemployable due to his disabilities. The issues have been remanded for these purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Service connection is remanded for the Veteran's claims of bilateral lungs disorder and a psychiatric disorder (anxiety).

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as of September 12, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.