Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to the appellant's unverified military service records. The AOJ is instructed to verify any service and provide the appellant with an opportunity to submit additional evidence supporting his claim.

The Veteran's claims for arthritis, hearing loss, hypertension, and asthma have been dismissed. The Board has remanded the remaining issues including service connection for left elbow, knee, hip conditions and secondary service connection for anxiety and depression.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to lack of continuity or chronicity since service. The Board also found no direct evidence linking the disabilities to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of VA examination. The Veteran's active duty service is noted, but his pre-existing conditions are under review.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from June 5, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and a VA examination to assess his hip disabilities. His claim for increased hearing loss remains denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's right and left knee service connection issues have been withdrawn.,Service connection for cervical spine, bilateral upper extremity nerve disorders, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss has been granted. Service connection for cervical spine arthritis, right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right foot pes planus has been denied due to pre-existing conditions not aggravated by service.,The Veteran's left foot pes planus was found to have existed prior to service and did not worsen during service.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, as the Veteran died during the pendency of these appeals.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for flatfeet have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current disabilities meet the requirements of VA regulations and are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, kidney disease/renal failure with hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision is effective from January 27, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of current disability during or prior to the appeal period.

The Board dismissed all claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. However, the claims are remanded for a VA etiology opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed bilateral hearing loss, including whether it is related to military noise exposure or secondary to service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and right knee disability for additional development, including obtaining audiometry test results and conducting medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and examination, as the current evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's heart disorder, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is granted. For the entire period on appeal, entitlement to an initial disability rating of 100 percent for PTSD is granted. Beginning June 29, 2016, entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate is granted. The issues of service connection for joint pain, neurological symptoms, and left knee strain are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, adenocarcinoma of the cecum (claimed as colon cancer), tinnitus, gastric ulcer, cold injury residuals, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, a chronic respiratory disorder, and bilateral hearing loss are all granted. The Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD during service and the evidence supports that it is related to in-service stressors. Service connection is also granted for his acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. However, service connection cannot be established without a VA examination or supporting medical evidence for his chronic respiratory disorder and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 40 percent rating from May 26, 2011 to February 26, 2012. The effective date is based on the earliest medical evidence showing an increase in disability.