Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, including left and right ear hearing loss, is granted as service connection is established based on direct evidence of a current disability during service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied initial ratings higher than 10 percent for right knee degenerative arthritis with painful motion, right shoulder disability, and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis. The Veteran's claims were not granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at a 10 percent disability rating effective from February 28, 2018. The claim for an earlier compensable rating prior to that date was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, finding that it is presumed to have been incurred in service due to the Veteran's active duty period of more than 90 days. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with previous hearing loss ratings and psychiatric disorder service connection. The Veteran will need a new examination for his bilateral hearing loss.

The claim for service connection for a low back disability is dismissed.,The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate rationale in the VA examination report. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions based on noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his military service. The examiner will need to determine if the current hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure, considering the Veteran's post-military employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disorder and left shoulder disorder are dismissed as the appellant withdrew his claim. The Veteran's left shoulder disorder is granted service connection as secondary to a service-connected bilateral knee disability. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and his service connection claim for vertigo is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has found that the VA medical opinions are inadequate for adjudicative purposes and remanded the cases for further development.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability for the period prior to June 29, 2016 due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral defective hearing loss, headaches associated with TBI, tinnitus, scar of right thigh, and TBI, preclude substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience. The Board has determined that the criteria for a total disability rating on the basis of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities have been met.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for vertigo as secondary to service-connected hearing loss or tinnitus due to inadequate examinations in January 2020.

The Veteran's PTSD was previously granted a 50% rating, but the Board denied an increased rating to higher than 70%. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it is rated at 0%, and no effective date adjustment was made for ischemic heart disease.,For the right knee condition, the Veteran has been granted a 10% rating. However, his claim for a higher rating remains on appeal.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, COPD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the claims of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and a need for further examination of the Veteran's hearing loss.