Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and a compensable rating for hearing loss in the right and left ears, respectively.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus limit his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, but he is not considered unable to do so due to these conditions alone. The Board finds that the Veteran has limited occupational capacity in quiet environments and positions that do not require ongoing communication with coworkers, supervisors, or the general public.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for TBI and a TDIU is remanded due to inadequate examinations. The VA will schedule new examinations to determine the nature and severity of the Veteran's TBI and TBI residuals, including whether erectile dysfunction is proximately due or aggravated by TBI.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability and that any potential hearing loss was not due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate January 2020 medical opinion and a need for a new examination or opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss had its onset during service or is related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, ulcerative colitis, and hypertension. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not found to meet the criteria for a current disability under VA regulations.,Service connection for ulcerative colitis was denied as there is no evidence of its onset during or related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as it was caused by in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the Veteran has a current condition that manifested during service and continues to this day.,Left Achilles' tendonitis is granted as the Veteran had an injury in service, which resulted in continuous symptoms since then.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset during military service.

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

The Veteran's hearing loss was evaluated as Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable (zero percent) disability rating under DC 6100. The Board found that there were no examination findings warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lipomas was granted and assigned an effective date of November 15, 2013.,Service connection for generalized anxiety disorder is granted.

The Board has decided that the VA audiological assessment from June 2021 is insufficient to determine an increased rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The Veteran's puretone thresholds and speech recognition scores need to be obtained.

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 his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities for VA compensation purposes.,The Veteran's low back condition, left shoulder condition, stress headaches, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (secondary to a service-connected low back condition), right hand scars, and dermatophytosis are all being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a left knee disability, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a 'disability due to impaired hearing' as defined by VA regulations. The Board also found no causal link between the current left knee condition and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not originate during service, was not shown to be related to service, and is not compensable within one year of separation. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear application of the Maryland CNC test in a previous private hearing audiogram, and for clarification on whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection, but a higher rating is denied.,Effective dates for the awards of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not earlier than February 24, 2018.

The Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability for VA purposes, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation based on housebound status because he did not meet the criteria at any point prior to September 19, 2018.