Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to a lack of compliance with previous remand instructions regarding audiometric results conversion.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions provided. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is currently conceded, but there are questions about its onset and etiology.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and pulmonary fibrosis, finding that there was no causal relationship between these conditions and military service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for lumbar spine disorder and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are granted based on evidence showing a nexus between current conditions and service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment from July 30, 2008, to December 4, 2014. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his service-connected conditions alone preclude him from obtaining and maintaining such employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with noise exposure being a significant factor. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hearing loss and a higher rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals prior to the Board decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that his abdominal disability did not contribute to his death and hypertension was not related to herbicide exposure. The Board also found no new evidence submitted since the last rating decision.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss is inadequate and remands the case for a new opinion to address the history of his tinnitus and whether it may be related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, increased ratings for a kidney disability, residuals of a CVA, bilateral hearing loss disability, and diabetes have been dismissed. A rating in excess of 60 percent for CAD has been granted from December 4, 2019 to April 1, 2020.

The Veteran was granted an effective date of May 8, 2008 for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits due to service-connected disabilities.,The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 29, 2017.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by hearing acuity of no worse than Level II in the left ear and no worse than Level II in the right ear. The criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

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

The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and has ordered the conversion of the June 2019 VA audiogram results from graphic to numeric form. The case is now remanded for readjudication.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Veteran's lumbar spine and neck disabilities are remanded for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate examination in determining the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his left ear hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, with both ears rated at Level I and II respectively.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate rationale in previous VA medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The initial rating claim for tension headaches has been granted, but no specific rating assigned yet.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee instability, and residuals of a sexually transmitted disease (likely syphilis and nongonococcal urethritis) as there was no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria or showing in-service incurrence.