Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral hearing loss and prostate cancer, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from August 1, 2013, to January 17, 2017.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including left ear hearing loss, right and left ankle disabilities, lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity sciatica, and left lower extremity sciatica, must be remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims of service connection for sleep apnea, hearing loss, hyperlipidemia, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate July 2020 VA examination, which did not consider the Veteran's lay statements of in-service noise exposure. A new VA examination is needed.

The Veteran's hearing loss resulted in a 90% rating from December 3, 2015 to April 7, 2020. The Board found no evidence of entitlement to a higher rating during this period and denied the claim.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims for various conditions. The Veteran's hearing loss claim is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss by VA standards.

The Veteran's appeals for hearing loss, lumbosacral strain, bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, and cervical spine condition have all been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. The other claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and bilateral flatfeet have been denied as there is no persuasive evidence of a current disability or relationship to service.,The Veteran's claim for tinnitus has been remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding its etiology. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder has also been remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. The evidence of record persuasively weighs against finding that the Veteran has had PTSD at any time during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.,The evidence of record persuasively weighs against finding that the Veteran has depression began during active service, or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,Service connection for substance abuse was denied as there is no medical professional providing an opinion relating substance abuse to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have worsened, and additional examinations are needed to determine the current severity of his PTSD, headaches, right ear hearing loss, CFS, fibromyalgia, IBS, GERD, sleep apnea, and TBI. The Veteran also has new claims for service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's right ankle strain is rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.,Bilateral hearing loss has not been established as a disability for VA purposes.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and OSA have not been granted.,Service connection for headaches has not been granted.,The Veteran's left ankle strain is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirements for a schedular TDIU. The Board referred the case to the Director of Compensation Service for extra-schedular consideration due to his unemployability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 0 percent, which is not compensable.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable.

The appeals concerning increased ratings for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed.,The appeal concerning service connection for right ear hearing loss has also been dismissed.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a left knee disability is denied as the evidence does not establish that his current condition had its onset in or is otherwise related to service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be remanded for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is currently rated at 30 percent, but no higher, since June 29, 2019. The Board denied increased ratings for the periods before and after this date.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is due to his military service and has granted service connection for this condition.