Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issues of reopening entitlement to service connection for right and left clawfoot, as well as assigning a disability rating for right ear hearing loss. The case is now pending with the RO.

The Board has dismissed all the appeals regarding service connection for various conditions as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's current conditions are found to be related to his active military service.,Service connection is established for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment throughout the entire period on appeal, and the Board finds that he is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to loud noise during military training.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a disability under VA compensation standards and there was no evidence of noise exposure during service. The Board also found no link between the current hearing loss and service.

Service connection is denied for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, right and left upper extremity neurological disabilities (other than bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome), right and left lower extremity neurological disabilities, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus.,The Veteran's current cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, skeletal arthritis, and erectile dysfunction were also denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during active duty or within one year post-service, nor are they linked to any in-service disease or injury.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of August 30, 2018 for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was found to have existed as of this date.

The Board has remanded the claim for further development and consideration due to a failure to consider favorable evidence of record and a violation of duty to assist.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for VA examinations and rescheduling of his Board hearing.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and an inadequate examination. The Veteran's hearing loss disability needs to be evaluated again with all relevant medical records considered.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss prior to November 17, 2016 was denied. An initial evaluation of 10 percent, but no higher, for bilateral hearing loss effective from November 17, 2016, is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The examiner must provide a new opinion on whether the current disability is at least as likely as not related to his military service, including conceded in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeals for higher evaluations of bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, and scar from right inguinal herniorrhaphy have been dismissed. Additionally, the appeal to reopen a previously denied claim for numbness on the right side of the body has also been dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in an October 2018 rating decision. The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is dismissed as he withdrew the issue in December 2021.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, granting service connection based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes at any point during the current appeal period, and therefore service connection cannot be granted.