Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations related to his left knee, left leg, left ear hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type 1, and liver disease. The claims are being returned for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing audiometric testing results from a 2015 VA audiological consultation. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating is pending.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer, and a brain tumor. The claims are being remanded for further action.

The Veteran is granted a nonservice-connected pension since October [REDACTED], 2020, due to his age and inability to work due to disabilities. Prior to this date, the Veteran's disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and disability ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, melanoma, and a heart condition due to outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's psychiatric disorder claim is also remanded.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a TBI, cervicalgia with pinched nerve (secondary to TBI), back injury, degenerative joint disease of the left hip, and degenerative joint disease of the right hip have all been denied. The Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, onychomycosis, and hypertension claims are also denied.

The Board has denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's gastrointestinal disability and back disability claims are remanded due to outstanding records from Dreas Health Care Service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for TBI, PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The Board found that the highest level of impairment for his TBI residuals was no greater than a level 1 impairment.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, asthma, COPD, gout, and right ankle disability due to further development being required.

The Board has granted a TDIU beginning January 22, 2017 and denied it prior to that date. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment as of January 22, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not attributable to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for hearing loss was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the September 2014 rating decision is not final and the Veteran's claims have been on appeal since then. The Board finds that a remand is warranted for addendum VA opinions to address whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or tinnitus, as well as an addendum VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's right and left knee osteoarthritis are related to his in-service jeep accident. The AOJ should also attempt to obtain any outstanding private treatment records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection.,An initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is remanded, as well as the determination of TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in Thailand. The Veteran's current conditions are considered at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The Veteran's PTSD with MDD is granted a 50% rating prior to December 4, 2019 and a 70% rating thereafter. A TDIU determination is granted from August 30, 2021.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 10 percent from July 7, 2021. Prior to this date, the rating was zero percent.

The Board has determined that the AOJ needs to obtain and associate with the file all records associated with the Veteran's participation in VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Education (VR&E) program, provide him appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and knee disabilities, and to discern the level of functional impairment resulting from his service-connected psychiatric disabilities. The AOJ is also required to readjudicate the Veteran's appealed issues in light of the totality of evidence of record.