Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed for the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, bilateral pes planus, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The Veteran will need to provide VA with any outstanding treatment records from VA facilities in Florida and Georgia, as well as undergo examinations to address the issues of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss prior to March 1, 2011 was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for hearing loss between March 1, 2011 and July 13, 2016 was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for hearing loss after July 14, 2016 was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issue of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss, all presumed to be due to herbicide agent exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeals for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed.,His claims for service connection for left arm disorder (previously characterized as left shoulder disorder) and right knee disorder (previously characterized as right leg disorder) have been reopened with the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, right eye disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, sinusitis, and headaches have been denied. The case is remanded for further development regarding the issues of service connection for sinusitis and headaches.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause and aggravation of the Veteran's tinnitus, which is related to his service-connected hearing loss. The case will be reviewed again with a focus on these issues.

The Board has dismissed all issues related to earlier effective dates for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus, as the Veteran withdrew these claims. The appeal is also dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the lack of current testing data and the Veteran's contention that his hearing acuity has continued to worsen since the last VA evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new evidence and incomplete VA medical records. The Veteran will need a new examination for his skin condition, hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a head injury.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and low back disorder due to additional development being needed.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable (zero percent) since January 12, 2016. The Board found the evidence did not support a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the issue on appeal, including obtaining SSA records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted. The Board has remanded the remaining issues for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disability due to missing VA examinations. The claim for service connection is being remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's hearing loss was evaluated and found to be at Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss are all found to have originated during active service.,New evidence has been submitted that supports the claim for each of these conditions.