Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding an earlier effective date for service connection of a left elbow condition. The Veteran's benign prostatic hypertrophy, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected chronic prostatitis.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for low back disorder and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current evidence of a disability by VA standards, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that his hearing loss was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to his military service, but further examination is needed for the hearing loss claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has previously denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The case was remanded multiple times, but there were issues with compliance with previous instructions. The matter is being remanded again due to lack of substantial compliance.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability due to incomplete VA records and unclear audiometric results. The RO is instructed to obtain an interpretation of the audiogram results from a certified audiologist.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to missing VA treatment records and a need for a new PTSD evaluation. The Veteran's hearing loss is not compensable, his PTSD effective date appeal is dismissed, and an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are also remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for service-connected left ear hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a higher rating, and thus denied the claim. For the lumbar strain issue, the Board found that additional remand was necessary due to inadequate examination findings.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. Additional development is required, including an examination addressing all periods of service and whether his hearing loss was aggravated by active duty for training.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no legal basis for a higher rating.,The Veteran's service-connected hypertension and ED are not service connected. The RO is instructed to obtain medical opinions addressing whether these conditions were incurred in service or caused by his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and ratings have been withdrawn. The Board has granted a TDIU from April 25, 2013, based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied service connection for a low back disability.

The Board dismissed the appeal as the Veteran withdrew his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in a July 1969 rating decision. The Board has remanded the case due to an error in the original decision, but no effective date is being granted as the issue of revising the prior decision is pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for additional examinations and opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and cluster headaches, as well as a TDIU claim. The issues of service connection and rating are being addressed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that his current diagnosis was not causally related to his active-duty service and did not manifest within one year of discharge.

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