Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate opinions regarding the significance of in-service audiometric changes and noise exposure during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for swelling and numbness of the right leg is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, anxiety disorder, sleep apnea with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, scars, tinnitus, history of basal cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of service-connected disabilities prior to November 24, 2008. As such, the Veteran is granted an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss effective from October 31, 2002, and entitlement to a TDIU prior to that date.

The Veteran's service connection claims for arthritis of the bilateral feet and bilateral hearing loss are denied. The Board found no evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of current evidence of a hearing loss disability. The Veteran needs to provide VA treatment records from Long Beach, California that may include evidence of his current condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the issues due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal with the grant of a combined 100 percent disability rating.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking the condition to in-service noise exposure. The appeal for left ear hearing loss, gout, and peripheral neuropathy is remanded for additional development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss may be related to his service-connected tinnitus, and thus remands for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral vascular disease was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence supporting a higher disability level.,The Veteran's claims for ratings in excess of 10 percent prior to January 28, 2022, for diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity were also denied as there is no current diagnosis or evidence showing such severity.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the presence of a disability as defined by VA. The claims for increased ratings for hypertension, right knee disorder, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and Bells' Palsy syndrome are remanded for further development.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, and the Board has dismissed the case.

The Veteran's claims of a rating in excess of 30 percent for his testicular condition and service connection for bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence and inextricably intertwined issues, specifically the need for audiometric testing from June 7, 2004.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is reopened, but the Board finds that a remand is necessary to obtain updated treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any currently diagnosed hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a right knee injury. These issues are now remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest within a year of discharge from active duty, and there is no continuity of symptoms since. The evidence does not support a finding that his current hearing loss disability was incurred in service.