Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to in-service noise exposure and that the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives and issues related to the competency of the examiner.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether the Veteran's hearing loss is related to his military service or if it was caused by his now-service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the preponderance of the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation between May 30, 2003 and February 14, 2005. A TDIU rating is granted on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is secondary to his service-connected tinnitus, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's combined disability rating (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) is less than 30 percent, which means he does not meet the requirement for special monthly compensation based on his spouse needing aid and attendance.

The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and bilateral hearing loss. The case is being remanded to address the issue of service connection for memory loss due to service-connected TBI.,Service connection will not be granted for a cervical spine disability or bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and no higher rating is warranted.,For the period from February 10, 2016 through October 10, 2017, the Veteran was granted a 40 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. Since then, his disability has not warranted an increased rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tendonitis of the hands, hearing loss in the right ear, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination.

The Board has not provided a proper opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by service-connected tinnitus. The case is therefore remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 8, 2020 and from October 8, 2020 was denied. Prior to October 8, 2020, the Veteran received a noncompensable disability rating. From October 8, 2020, he received a 20 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD). The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied previously due to a lack of clinical diagnosis, but new evidence from a VA psychiatrist now supports the claim. Therefore, the case must be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and the appeal for TDIU was dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and his other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder is rated at 70 percent prior to August 1, 2020. From that date onwards, the rating for this condition has been increased to 70 percent.,The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted, subject to the laws and regulations governing the payment of monetary benefits. The special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance allowance for a dependent spouse is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development, including obtaining an addendum VA medical opinion regarding whether these conditions are at least as likely as not related to service exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure. The case is being returned for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since May 12, 2014. The Board has granted the TDIU claim with this effective date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and increased rating for low back disability were denied. The Board found no evidence of current diagnosed bilateral hearing loss disability, and the low back disability was rated as 20 percent prior to March 3, 2020, but not higher.