Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran requested to withdraw the appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, leading to its dismissal.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed. The remaining issues have been remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted as of March 14, 2011 due to his service-connected disabilities. The issue of service connection for sleep apnea has been dismissed.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to service, but his residuals of tonsillectomy claim requires further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since December 13, 2013. The VA determined that the Veteran's pure tone thresholds did not meet the criteria for exceptional patterns of hearing impairment and thus applied the standard rating schedule without considering additional factors like functional impact.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examiner's opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, heart condition, and high blood pressure. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is denied, and the issue of an initial rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD is remanded.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and a compensable disability evaluation for his service-connected surgical scar. The effective dates for TDIU and the award of 60% disability rating for coronary artery disease have been granted.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in the rating from noncompensable to more than 10 percent prior to March 2, 2022 and from 10 percent after March 2, 2022.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and sinusitis due to new examinations being necessary.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims for service connection for acid reflux, tinnitus, and hearing loss. The claims for tendonitis of the right foot and left foot remain denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include prostate disability, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction (ED), right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the need for a dental examination to determine if the Veteran's loss of two front teeth is related to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability as defined by VA standards. The most probative opinions were against a relationship between these disabilities and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, as he voluntarily retired and has no evidence showing his symptoms prevent him from working.

The Board denied the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the appellant's service-connected conditions alone do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from March 1, 2014. The claim for earlier effective date of SMC based on housebound status is denied as the Veteran was not permanently confined to his home prior to January 23, 2014.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss prior to December 12, 2017 and a greater than 10 percent rating thereafter. The appeal is still pending as the appellant has not indicated satisfaction with the increase granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded all issues for additional development. The malaria and tinea versicolor ratings are also remanded.