Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete development and need for a new medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as a need for additional medical opinions regarding his low back disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, acid reflux, chronic cough, and heart disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service. The appeal is granted in these two cases.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a skin condition (tinea cruris, tinea unguium) due to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and credible assertions of continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of a compensable evaluation for scarring of the right hand.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss as it did not find a causal relationship between the condition and military service, nor was there evidence of a compensable degree of hearing loss within one year post-service.

The Veteran's application to reopen claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, hypertension, patella chondromalacia of right knee and left knee, and erectile dysfunction have been granted. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as Level I, which is noncompensable. The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable rating.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, an increased rating for anxiety disorder, and a compensable rating for tinea versicolor due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for an updated VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant withdrew his appeal for reducing the evaluation of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability from 70 percent to 40 percent.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea, finding no current disability in either condition and insufficient evidence to link the conditions to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including left upper lobe granulomatous infection with pulmonary nodule, was reopened and granted effective June 20, 2013. An effective date of June 20, 2013, but no earlier, is assigned for the award of service connection. The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to April 15, 2008 remains denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with the most recent audiometric evaluations showing Level II hearing acuity in both ears. The Board denied a compensable rating based on the lack of exceptional hearing loss and the Veteran's use of hearing aids.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial disability rating higher than 20 percent for his left shoulder condition. The decision found that the Veteran did not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability, as defined by VA regulations, and thus denied service connection for this condition. The claim for increased rating of the left shoulder was remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the conditions did not have their onset within one year after separation from service or are otherwise unrelated to military service.