Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service connection claims for a right eye disorder, bilateral hearing loss disability, headaches, jaw disorder, dental disorder, and TBI have all been denied. The evidence does not support the presence of current disabilities or link them to service.,There is no credible evidence linking any current disabilities to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no nexus between his current hearing loss disability and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated and found to be Level I in all cases, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The Board denied the claim for an increased rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, prostate cancer, and bilateral hearing loss, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment since March 1, 2020. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), loss of concentration, fear of knives, and loss of memory. The remand requires obtaining additional medical records, attempting to corroborate in-service stressors, scheduling VA examinations, and further development as needed.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, attributing it to noise exposure during military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, with average pure tone thresholds and speech recognition scores not meeting criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are all granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicides during his time in Thailand. The Board found credible the Veteran's claims of proximity to the perimeter of the air base where he served.

The Veteran's initial noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the inadequacy of previous VA audiological examinations, which did not use the Maryland CNC test. A new examination is needed to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is rated as non-compensable throughout the appeal period.

The Board has determined that additional evidence needs to be obtained before the claims can be fully adjudicated. This includes obtaining audiogram results from VA treatment records and reviewing all new evidence submitted since the last decisions.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran does not have right ear hearing loss for VA disability compensation purposes and that left ear hearing loss did not manifest to a compensable degree in service or within a presumptive period.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,Service connection has been granted for residuals of left arm burn scar.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and back disorder are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. The appeal for these conditions is remanded due to insufficient evidence addressing all relevant factors.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions are being remanded due to the need for further development and evaluation.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from July 1, 1981 to October 22, 2007. The issue of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to July 1, 1981 is dismissed.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus are all found to be related to his military service.,Service connection is granted for a respiratory disability including recurrent pneumonia and bronchitis as it began during active service.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 90 percent prior to November 1, 2017 for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied.,The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of SMC based on deafness in both ears was also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding service treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, lumbosacral strain, bilateral hearing loss, cervical strain, PTSD, and a right lower extremity sciatic nerve disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss prior to October 15, 2020 is granted a disability rating of 10 percent.