Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent prior to November 21, 2019 and 40 percent thereafter. The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and knee disorders.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss or knee disorders as they were determined to be unrelated to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been granted. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

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 had their onset during service or are otherwise related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, bladder disability (neurogenic bladder), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to potential service connection during a period of ACDUTRA or IDT from April 24 to May 16, 1999.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inconsistencies in the evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and his TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his active service.,For the inguinal hernias with retained metallic spring in pelvis and surgical scars post-bilateral hernia repair, the Board found no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Board has remanded several issues on appeal, including the denial of service connection for right ear hearing loss and the need to determine if a compensable rating is warranted for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current audiometric findings do not meet VA criteria for a disability due to impaired hearing in either ear.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 29, 2020, and in excess of 70 percent from September 29, 2020, is remanded due to incomplete records.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no current disability under VA's definition of impaired hearing.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's case due to incomplete records, specifically missing audiograms from August 2016 and 2019. The VA must obtain these documents and clarify if speech discrimination testing was done using the Maryland CNC word list during those visits.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including obtaining VA treatment records and audiograms/speech discrimination testing results from various VA facilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service exposure to hazardous noise, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed.,Effective June 17, 2022, the Veteran is granted a 40% rating for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy since June 16, 2011.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, leading the Board to dismiss the case.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the weight of the evidence indicates that his reported hearing loss was inorganic.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that he does not have a current disability of hearing loss for VA purposes and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple claims for various conditions, with some issues remanded for further review and others denied. The primary issue is the denial of a higher rating for tinnitus, which has been assigned the maximum schedular rating.