Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not warrant an increase in rating prior to August 24, 2021 or after that date.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for frostbite bilateral feet, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted. The claim for frostbite bilateral feet is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for a back disability, a right lower extremity disability, and a skin condition are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, hearing loss disability, and tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing impairment and his military service. The Board noted that the Veteran did not have any complaints or diagnoses related to hearing problems until many years after he left active duty.

The Board restored service connection for hearing loss, left ear and tinnitus due to the improper severance of these conditions.,There is not clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's tinnitus was not secondary to his hearing loss, left ear.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, sciatic nerve disability, pleurisy, tuberculosis, and back disability. The Board dismissed the appeals due to the Veteran's withdrawal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during service and was not aggravated by noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding the nature, etiology, and severity of his claimed conditions. The issues include right hip arthritis, glaucoma, gout, hearing loss, knee disability, and sleep disability.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations and further verification of his claimed stressors.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

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

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by puretone threshold averages and speech discrimination scores warranting a rating of 0 percent. The Board finds that the criteria for a higher rating have not been met.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of these conditions during the appellant's National Guard service or a link to military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his right shoulder disability. The Board finds that the existing medical evidence is insufficient to make an informed decision regarding this issue.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss (BHL) has been denied as there is no evidence of current BHL for VA purposes.,Service connection for hyperlipidemia was also denied because it is not a disability for which compensation can be granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and back disability. The claims are being returned for further development.

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

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was found to not warrant a compensable evaluation from June 5, 2020 due to the audiometric test results and speech recognition scores.