Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus is dismissed as he withdrew his appeal.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because the evidence does not show that it originated in service or within one year of discharge, and there is no causal link to service.,The claims for residuals of prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, gastrointestinal disorder (PUD/GERD), migraines, and unspecified depressive disorder are all remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a stomach disability (GERD) due to insufficient evidence in their favor. The VA will obtain additional medical records, conduct further examinations, and consider all relevant evidence before making a decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss was aggravated by service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient development of evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including spinal fusion, dysthymic disorder, and left lower extremity radiculopathy, render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a left eye condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected on a presumptive basis due to noise exposure during service. Service connection is remanded for further examination of the left eye condition, bilateral hearing loss, and esophageal or stomach condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, with no evidence of exceptional patterns or other factors warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for eye disability and skin condition were denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss prior to November 4, 2021 or greater than 20 percent thereafter since that date. Service connection was also denied for the Veteran's claimed eye disability and skin condition.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities and his period of service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Board finds the evidence in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has diabetes mellitus, type 2, related to his active service. Service connection for diabetes mellitus is remanded due to conflicting medical evidence. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities secondary to diabetes mellitus are also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or chronic conditions leading to these disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10 percent, effective December 4, 2017. Service connection for his right-hand disability was also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence provided by the Veteran, including his testimony about noise exposure during active service and post-service symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury, Vision Disability, Sleep Apnea, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Hearing Loss Disability has been remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Bilateral Knee Disability has been remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for Asthma has been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of February 23, 2018. The claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the earliest evidence supporting this claim is from September 24, 2018.

The Board has granted the Veteran's TDIU claim, finding that his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to potential issues with evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's exposure during service is not linked to any specific conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to inadequate medical opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and whether it is proximately caused or aggravated by his diabetes mellitus type II.