Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work, as well as his need for aid and attendance or housebound status. The Veteran will be required to provide updated employment history and undergo VA examinations to determine these matters.

The Veteran is granted SMC based on aid and attendance from January 30, 2019 onward. The issue of entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound benefits from July 12, 2011 to January 29, 2019 is remanded.,The Veteran's claim for SMC T (based on a higher level of SMC under subsection (t)) has been reasonably raised by the record. The issue of entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance from July 12, 2011 to January 29, 2019 is remanded.,The earlier effective date for radiculopathy of the upper extremities prior to February 9, 2021 remains pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for right total knee replacement and bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate opinions provided in previous VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection claims.

The Veteran's tension headaches are granted service connection. The remaining issues of service connection for various musculoskeletal and psychiatric disabilities are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss began in service and has continued since, granting service connection for this condition.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted, effective from November 29, 2016. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are also granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The examiner was instructed to consider the Veteran's lay statements and previous VA examinations, but did not do so in their report.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and lumbar spine disability due to incomplete service personnel records, particularly regarding his periods of active duty in the Air National Guard. The VA will attempt to obtain these records and verify all periods of active duty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss have been granted.,Service connection has been established for both conditions based on noise exposure during active military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his condition is at least as likely as not related to his military service. The appeal was originally denied in May 2010 due to a lack of evidence linking his hearing loss to noise exposure during service, but new medical evidence supports this relationship.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a TDIU prior to October 27, 2020, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment before this date.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The remaining issues have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. Service connection was granted for bilateral hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's exposure to noise during his military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal as it does not have jurisdiction to review whether new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's exposure to noise during his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to September 27, 2019 is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history. His TDIU claim is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and whether it is aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. The examiner must consider a 1990 field study submitted by the Veteran.