Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability resulted with hearing loss, at worse, in findings no greater than Roman Numeral X (right) and XI (left) from October 5, 2015, through September 27, 2017. Beginning September 27, 2017, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability resulted with hearing loss in findings of Roman Numeral XI (right) and XI (left).

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and various diagnosed psychiatric disability for further development due to insufficient opinions in the June 2018 remand.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent from October 6, 2021. The appeal for a higher rating prior to that date has been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and traumatic brain injury with any residuals, including headaches. The disabilities are found to be due to military noise exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bipolar disorder. The Veteran's hearing loss is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to acoustic trauma during training exercises and working around helicopters. His tinnitus is presumed to have been incurred in service as he reported experiencing ringing in his ears during service. His bipolar disorder is linked to a simulated helicopter crash incident during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are not related to his in-service noise exposure, despite his assertions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and the need for a new opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The issues include cardiac disability, bilateral hearing loss, neurological disabilities of both upper extremities, right knee disability, PTSD, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lipoma of the left upper back area is denied as there is no evidence linking it to his military service, including herbicide exposure. The claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, and joint pain are all remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for further evaluation and consideration of his symptoms.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and high cholesterol, but granted a compensable rating of 20% for incomplete paralysis of the median nerve status post, posttraumatic tremor of the left arm and traumatic neuropathy of the left hand. The effective date for this increased rating is February 24, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis C due to a lack of an addendum opinion regarding their etiology, as well as a failure to afford the Veteran a VA examination related to his hepatitis C claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and failure to address delayed onset of hearing loss. Additional development is needed, including obtaining updated treatment records and providing an addendum opinion from a qualified clinician.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for his bilateral hearing loss disability is denied. The case is remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board found that there was no evidence of an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment or a compensable rating based on new evidence. The Veteran's hearing loss remains at Level I in both ears.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied because he refused to report for a VA examination, which is necessary to establish entitlement to the requested increase.