Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the issues of service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis is granted, but his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss due to service exposure, but a proper medical opinion is needed to determine if the hearing loss existed prior to service and was aggravated by military noise exposure.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to February 9, 2021 is denied.,The Veteran's increased rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from February 9, 2021 is denied.,The Veteran's initial increased rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis prior to April 26, 2019 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, but the issue of whether his current hearing loss is related to military service remains unresolved.,The Veteran's hypertension claim was also remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding its relationship to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for PTSD and new effective dates for service connection claims were denied. The Veteran was granted a 70% rating for PTSD from March 17, 2014 to August 5, 2015.

The Veteran's death was not recognized for DIC and death pension benefits due to the marriage occurring too late. The appellant is being remanded to clarify whether she wishes to proceed as a substitute party or solely for accrued benefits purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service. The decision was based on the Veteran's testimony of in-service noise exposure and her current symptoms.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of tinnitus in service or at any time since service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss for VA purposes.,The Board finds that the Veteran's ED is secondary to his service-connected Raynaud's phenomenon with scleroderma/CREST syndrome.

Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.,Service connection for tuberculosis is denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded for extraschedular consideration due to his service-connected disabilities prior to June 6, 2019.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remands and insufficient rationale in the VA examination report. The Veteran's hearing loss is related to service exposure, but the examiner did not adequately address this.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is granted, but has remanded the issue of his bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically addressing his service MOS and noise exposure.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, a low back disability, and a left knee disability due to lack of current diagnoses or evidence of such disabilities during the pendency of the claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and enlarged prostate due to insufficient examination reports addressing the Veteran's exposure to noise in service and herbicide exposure during his Vietnam service.

The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for tinnitus and earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been withdrawn. The appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection of bilateral hearing loss has been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions had their onset during his military service.

The Board has found that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims, as there are no recent VA treatment records available.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and high blood pressure/hypertension are denied as not related to service.,Dry eye syndrome, sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and erectile dysfunction (secondary to PTSD) are remanded for further evaluation.,PTSD with associated depression is also remanded for a rating in excess of 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not begin during service and is not related to an in-service injury or disease. The preexisting condition was not aggravated by service, as there were no significant threshold shifts.