Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an ear condition and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claim for TDIU. The Veteran is currently working but needs to provide updated information regarding his work schedule and income.,The appeal for TDIU will be remanded due to a lack of recent employment information.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to February 22, 2019. From February 22, 2019, the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing medical records and the Veteran's advanced dementia, requiring regular care and assistance. The VA will need to obtain his treatment records from St. Louis VA Health Care System and Marion VAMC for January 2012 to February 2015.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including evaluations for various disabilities and service connection claims.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether his subsequent worsening of hearing loss is due to aggravation by in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss disability due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The decision is based on credible statements from the Veteran regarding in-service events, as well as medical opinions linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is rated at zero percent, as the average puretone threshold in both ears is within Level I.,The Veteran’s DDD of the lumbosacral spine is currently rated at 40 percent. The examiner found forward flexion limited to 15 degrees and no ankylosis.,The Veteran's RLE radiculopathy involving sciatic nerve is currently rated at 20 percent, based on moderate incomplete paralysis.

The Board denied service connection for a right eye disability, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus. Service connection was granted for hypertension.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's right eye disability (including legal blindness), bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, or tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left ear scars status post cholesteatoma removal was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his hearing loss or scars.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied because he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations, and there was no good cause shown.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for generalized anxiety disorder, both prior to September 6, 2017, and from that date onwards. The Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's pre-service hearing loss was aggravated by active service.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's hearing acuity did not warrant a higher rating based on the results of audiometric testing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service. A new VA audiological examination is needed to determine if the Veteran currently has hearing loss for VA purposes and to assess the etiology of his claimed condition.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for a rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for low back disability and left knee disability as they are all related to the Veteran's death.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with the previous remand directives and requires a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional audiogram records.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of a left knee condition and bilateral hearing loss due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has found that the evidence does not support a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.,For the period prior to November 3, 2020, the Veteran was granted a 10% disability rating for his left ear cholesteatoma. Since then, he is denied any increase in rating due to worsening symptoms and increased need for cleaning of the affected ear. The Board has found that the evidence does not support an increase in the rating beyond 10%.,The Veteran's right lower lobectomy for removal of carcinoid tumor remains remanded as there are inconsistencies in the VA examination reports, necessitating a new evaluation by a pulmonologist.