Hearing loss decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) records related to the Veteran's disability determination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his representative.

The Board has denied reopening of the claim for service connection for a back disability and granted a 30% rating for residuals of frostbite injury of the right foot. The claims for increased ratings for left ear hearing loss and residuals of frostbite injury of the left foot are remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service. However, the right ear hearing loss is not currently shown as a disability for VA purposes due to lack of audiometric findings meeting the criteria for a current disability. The case is remanded to obtain additional records and conduct an examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for Type II diabetes mellitus, right and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, cataracts (right and left eyes), hypertension, respiratory disability, recurrent ear disabilities, and bilateral hearing loss are all granted due to herbicide agent exposure in Thailand. The appeals for a right eye disability, left eye disability, and service connection for recurrent ear disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied because she does not have current hearing loss in her left ear that meets VA compensation criteria.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between the conditions and service. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for referral to Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular TDIU consideration prior to September 3, 2015. The Veteran's TDIU was granted on September 3, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure. However, the Veteran's right ear hearing loss remains noncompensable as his puretone thresholds are within normal limits.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence in the VA examination report, specifically regarding puretone testing results and speech discrimination scores. A new VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease), and PTSD prior to March 11, 2021. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's initial rating of 30 percent for PTSD prior to March 11, 2021 is granted.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and bilateral hearing loss. Service connection was granted for psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD).,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's claimed conditions as they were not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, thoracolumbar spine condition, and cervical spine condition due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between noise exposure in service and current hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as there are inconsistencies in the evidence and additional information is needed to make a determination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a new VA examination due to inconsistencies in the evidence and the need for updated information.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss as the evidence did not show a current disability that began during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.

The Board has remanded the issue of TDIU prior to October 26, 2016 due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric test results did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating under VA's tables for rating hearing loss disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss.