Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, liver and colon cancer, peripheral neuropathy, enlarged prostate, COPD, and basal cell carcinoma have been withdrawn.,Service connection has been granted for tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has resulted in at most Level III hearing impairment in the right ear and Level I hearing impairment in the left ear, which does not warrant a compensable rating.,PTSD and panic disorder with agoraphobia have been manifested by psychiatric symptomatology resulting in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, without more severe manifestations that more nearly approximate total occupational and social impairment. The Veteran is currently rated at 70 percent for this condition.

The Board has granted effective dates of June 27, 2013 for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DMII), erectile dysfunction (ED), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.,These conditions were manifested as of June 27, 2013.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, and the appeal is granted.,Service connection for recurrent tinnitus is granted. The Veteran reported onset during active-duty service in 1975.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.,Service connection will be considered on the merits for all conditions listed.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals for increased disability ratings in excess of 40 percent for arthralgia of the lumbosacral spine and for a bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee surgical scar, left knee osteoarthritis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, post total right knee replacement, left knee instability, mild osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to lack of updated medical records and need for VA examinations.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis is granted as presumptively related to exposure to particulate matter during service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and fibromyalgia are remanded due to outstanding medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left ear hearing loss and onychomycosis due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran was exposed to noise in service, but no threshold shift was noted in his records. Onychomycosis is not a presumptive condition related to herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left shoulder disability. However, both claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no medical evidence showing a nexus between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied due to lack of a current disability. The VA examiner found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service, nor did the private audiogram support these findings.,For sleep apnea, the Board has determined that a remand is necessary as there are insufficient records to make a decision on the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and further development is needed.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and headaches. Service connection was granted for sinusitis but denied for TBI residuals.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypothyroidism and right ear hearing loss were granted. Service connection was denied for obesity.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, finding that there is no current disability in either ear as defined by VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability as due to service-connected disability (TDIU) because his service-connected disabilities, while severe, did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that both conditions were caused by his active-duty service.