Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the audiometric testing does not support such a rating.

The Board denied service connection for gout of the right great toe and granted a 20 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 13, 2021.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus may be related to exposure to jet fuel during service, but more evidence is needed to determine this. The case is being sent back for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's Ischemic Heart Disease is granted service connection due to herbicide exposure. For the period prior to August 17, 2022, a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied. An increased rating of 30 percent but no higher for bilateral hearing loss is granted effective from August 17, 2022.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a hearing loss disorder is granted, and his PTSD rating is increased to 70 percent. The issue of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for Meniere's syndrome with hearing impairment and tinnitus is denied as there was no communication prior to February 6, 2012 that could be construed as a reopening of the previously denied claim or a new entitlement to benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examiner did not address the conflicting evidence of record and the IOM report, which may affect the opinion on whether the current hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be due to in-service noise exposure and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss effective July 18, 2019. The appeal as to an earlier effective date for tinnitus is dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hammer toes, pes cavus, right shoulder disability, and a back condition have all been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have current disabilities for any of these conditions.,There is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of unemployability solely due to these conditions.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss effective July 18, 2019. The appeal as to an earlier effective date for tinnitus is dismissed.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an adequate VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current hearing loss, as the previous examiner did not address the Veteran's lay reports of recurrent hearing loss symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied as the effective date should be June 26, 2020. The evidence does not show an earlier claim or entitlement to TDIU prior to this date.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since June 28, 2021. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on his audiometric test results.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to his conceded in-service noise exposure. The Veteran was not able to attend scheduled VA examinations, but provided good cause.

Your bilateral hearing loss has already been granted service connection and is effective from January 2013. This appeal is dismissed as the claim is no longer pending.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his current hearing loss to active service. The Board noted that while he was exposed to noise in-service as a jet engine mechanic, this exposure did not result in acoustic trauma and there were no significant changes in his hearing during service.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The issues include increased ratings for diabetes mellitus type II, neuropathy of the hands and feet, bilateral hearing loss, and status post distal fibular fracture.