Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's report and the need for a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided in October 2019 were inadequate for adjudicative purposes. The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to provide addendum VA medical opinions addressing the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including right ear hearing loss, low back condition, left knee condition, left hip condition, cholecystitis, and GERD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of adequate VA examinations and undelivered correspondence. The Veteran is required to provide his current address, and all outstanding medical records should be obtained.

The Board has granted service connection for mild degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for service-connected right ear hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The current noncompensable rating for the right ear hearing loss through July 4, 2016, and the 10 percent rating for BHL from July 5, 2016 to November 11, 2020, are upheld.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is not shown to be worse than Level I in either ear, warranting a 0 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss.,CAD was not shown to have been manifested by a workload of seven METs or less, with evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation on EKG, echocardiogram (ECG), or X-ray; left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 50 percent or less is also not shown. Therefore, the Veteran's CAD does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be remanded for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of medical nexus opinions addressing these matters.

The Veteran's small hiatal hernia with dyspepsia was characterized by persistently recurrent epigastric distress, dysphagia, pyrosis, reflux, regurgitation, substernal arm or shoulder pain, and sleep disturbance from December 20, 2016. The claim for a compensable evaluation prior to this date is denied.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was characterized by at worst level I acuity in the right ear and level I acuity in the left ear. The claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate rationale in a previous VA examination, and requires an addendum opinion on the cause of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's right knee condition began during active duty service and is granted for service connection. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is remanded due to worsening since the last VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a seizure disorder has been reopened, and the issue is granted.,Service connection for hypertension was denied as there is no evidence of chronic disease during service or within the applicable presumptive period.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his four service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow any form of substantially gainful employment prior to August 3, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to December 3, 2019 and an increased rating for left ear hearing loss from that date is denied. The Veteran was previously granted service connection for right ear hearing loss in the same decision.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his tinnitus is related to service, and thus grants this claim. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for lumbar herniated discs L4/L5/S1 status post microdiscectomy, infertility, and bilateral hearing loss have been granted. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA criteria for a disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran contends that his hearing loss is related to noise exposure during service, but the VA examiner did not consider all relevant factors and lay statements.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD, right and left ear hearing loss, residuals of a left fifth finger injury, and nose fracture residuals is being remanded due to the need for further evaluation and evidence.