Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from obtaining and securing substantially gainful employment that is consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis as his service-connected disabilities alone do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied service connection for PTSD, right ankle disability, and lumbar spine disability. Service connection was granted for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to an inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between in-service noise exposure and acoustic trauma, which are conceded.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn, and the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology and aggravation of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. Additional evidence needs to be addressed by a VA examiner.

The Board has determined that the VA audiologist's opinion did not fully respond to the remand directives and is therefore insufficient. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus must be remanded once again.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a back disability, a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, and TDIU prior to June 6, 2019 due to incomplete information in the medical records requests.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and cervical spine disabilities, gastrointestinal disability, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, liver disability, prostate disability (including prostate cancer), and respiratory disability. The claims are related to exposure at Camp Lejeune contaminated water.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a middle ear disorder have been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's hearing loss was rated as noncompensable prior to October 17, 2018 and a 10 percent rating is granted after that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for thyroid disease due to radiation exposure is being remanded. The AOJ needs to obtain relevant VA treatment records, verify the Veteran’s occupational exposure to radioactive material, and develop his claim as necessary under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not due to noise exposure during his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset during service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the lack of specific pure tone thresholds from an audiology clinic evaluation performed in February 2018.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence of a hearing loss disability during active service or within one year after discharge. The examiner concluded that the current hearing loss is less likely related to military noise exposure and more likely due to post-service work as a pilot.

The Veteran's appeal for increases in the staged ratings assigned for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board found no audiometry prior to September 30, 2019 that met the schedular criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to potential deficiencies in the October 2019 VA medical opinion. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 24, 2016, and in excess of 80 percent thereafter is denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss effective August 26, 2016.