Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to an earlier effective date, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the prior rating decisions.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, is granted as service connected. However, his bilateral hearing loss is denied as not incurred during or caused by his period of active service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw all his claims, including service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, a right shoulder disorder, a left shoulder disorder, a lumbar spine disorder, a left knee disorder, a right ankle disorder, a left ankle disorder, and a bilateral foot disorder. As a result, the appeals are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions provided in previous decisions. The Board will seek a new addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, including its relationship to active duty noise exposure.

The Veteran's request to reopen the claim for high cholesterol was dismissed. The Board remanded claims for service connection for hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss at any time on or after August 21, 2015 was denied as his hearing acuity has never been worse than Level II in the left ear and Level I in the right ear.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities was also denied because he is currently employed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss claim should be remanded for an in-person VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his hearing loss, as well as whether it is related to service-connected disability or aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's present hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to June 10, 2021. Therefore, the claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted service connection. The issue of service connection for a right-hand little finger disorder is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as not related to service, while his left eye condition was denied due to lack of continuity of symptomatology.,Service connection for post-polio syndrome with spinal muscular atrophy is remanded due to a duty to assist error regarding the aggravation by pre-existing condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim from January 24, 2020 is granted. The cluster headaches rating issue is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate audiometric testing and missing numerical findings from a previous VA examination.

The Board has granted the restoration of an 80 percent rating for hearing loss. The appeal is granted in part, as S.F. is eligible for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a March 2020 decision.

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and low back disorder are all granted as service-connected. From March 19, 2019, the Veteran is awarded a 70 percent rating for PTSD.

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.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service, and thus denied.,PTSD prior to August 2, 2022, is rated at 50 percent. The Veteran's PTSD since then has been rated at 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus should be remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he contends are related to noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and the Board found no evidence to warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's back disability is granted as secondary to her service-connected left hip disability. The claim for basal cell carcinoma, right ear hearing loss, and bilateral bunions are denied.