Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete records and to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss in his left ear meets VA disability criteria.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral dry eyes and conjunctivitis (claimed as residuals of flash burning bilateral eyes), migraine headaches, left knee disability, low back disability, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.,The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder has also been recharacterized.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during his military service in the Gulf War.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot condition, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or in-service incurrence.,Service connection was not granted as the Appellant failed to meet his burden of proving aggravation of preexisting foot conditions during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been reopened, and a TDIU is granted. The Board finds that new evidence supports reopening the claim. Left ear hearing loss and foacal mononeuropathy with winged scapula are remanded due to worsening symptoms not addressed in previous examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inconsistencies in the October 2015 VA examiner's opinion regarding the May 1969 audiogram results. A new VA opinion is needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis, finding that his service-connected disabilities alone did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and back disability, have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence. The appeals are not granted in full.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee and hip disabilities, as well as migraines, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability. The TBI claim is denied.,Service connection was established for right knee and hip disabilities due to an altered gait caused by a service-connected right ankle injury. Migraines are considered a continuation of pre-existing conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and gastritis due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination. The SMC claim is also being remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and will attempt to obtain pertinent VA medical records, particularly those from a May 15, 2015, non-VA care audiology consultation. The claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability is now pending.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further VA evaluations of his PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a referral to VA's Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular consideration of the Veteran's TDIU claim due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as his combined ratings are insufficient to qualify and he is capable of performing substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected.,Both conditions were found to have onset during active duty service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be at its worst Level I in the right ear and Level IX in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's request to withdraw his right wrist disability claim has been accepted. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in his left ear, and therefore service connection for left ear sensorineural hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss is granted based on continuity of symptomatology since service. However, the Board has remanded to obtain clarification regarding whether the Veteran currently has a hip or knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to insufficient medical evidence on file. The claims include service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a bilateral arm skin disability, a head or facial skin disability, and a right eye disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus first manifested in service. However, service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of an increase in severity during service.

Service connection for varicose veins in left and right lower extremities has been granted.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss condition is being remanded for further examination.