Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as incurred in service, while his bilateral hearing loss and COPD are denied.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence did not show that he had a worse than Level I hearing in either ear, resulting in a non-compensable rating.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service due to exposure to noise without proper protection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, swelling of the face, bilateral knee disability, varicose veins, blood clots, and a back disability. The remand requires additional medical examinations and records review.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is not considered a service-connected disability as it does not meet the criteria for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now considered. The Board has also determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, chronic headache disability, bruxism with myofascial pain dysfunction, and TBI warrant service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including depression, lumbar spine disability, intervertebral osteochondrosis, C3-C4, C6-C7, bilateral hearing loss, parotid gland neoplasm, and peripheral neuropathy have been granted with effective dates of May 20, 2011.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression has also been granted with an effective date of January 30, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was reopened due to new and material evidence. The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his active service, thus granting service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent from February 23, 2015 through September 12, 2019. A higher rating of 20 percent is granted for this period and a lower rating of 10 percent is denied prior to February 23, 2015 and since September 13, 2019.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, and pleural plaques have left him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his cognitive impairment caused by PTSD. The decision grants special monthly compensation based on this need.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not meet the minimum threshold criteria for a TDIU, as they only amount to a combined rating of 20 percent. The Board finds that there is no indication that these disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as zero percent disabling, and the Board found that this rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The decision found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability and that there was no evidence linking his tinnitus to in-service noise exposure.

Service connection for a neck condition is denied. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) was not incurred or caused by his active duty service.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, with the most severe level being Level VII under Table VI of VA rating criteria.,A rating in excess of 40 percent for a low back disability is denied. The weight of evidence does not support finding that the Veteran has unfavorable ankylosis or required prescribed bed rest to treat his back disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 19, 2016. Therefore, his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability was denied.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to the inadequacy of the medical opinion provided in October 2020, which did not address the specific issues identified and failed to provide an extensive etiological discussion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate VA medical opinions, lack of evidence regarding in-service noise exposure, and need for additional treatment records.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 80 percent for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current level of disability does not warrant such an increase.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss likely began during service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed as the issues are moot due to their favorable resolution in a prior rating decision.,The Veteran's skin disorder has been granted service connection, with the Board finding that his current condition is related to his inservice diagnosis of tinea cruris.