Hearing loss decisions — 2021

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

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Left Ear Hearing Loss due to inadequate medical opinions regarding causation and aggravation. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, with a focus on whether they are related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, bilateral hearing loss, a low back disability, and tinea pedis/onychomycosis. The Veteran's claims are now remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability began during service due to noise exposure, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to her in-service exposure to hazardous noise, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (dysthymic disorder and depression) due to VA treatment. The Veteran contends that her conditions were caused or aggravated by VA care.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence to establish a nexus between his current hearing loss disability and his in-service noise exposure. The Board also found insufficient evidence of continuity of symptoms following service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a different examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disability.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has worsened since the last examination in 2017, and a new VA examination is needed to determine its current severity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and extraschedular TDIU, finding that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues with scheduling VA examinations at his correctional facility. The appeals are related and must be addressed together.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active-duty service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss in service and the VA examiners concluded that the Veteran did not experience acoustic trauma significant enough to result in his current hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the failure to obtain audiometry test results from VA and private evaluations, as well as recent VA treatment records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 60 percent for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The initial rating for his kidney cancer with right nephrectomy remains at 60 percent, effective March 1, 2018.