Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate investigation of the claimed stressor and need for additional medical examination.

The Board has decided to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, but has remanded it due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to August 17, 2017 for service connection of high frequency sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. The effective dates assigned are based on the date of receipt of the intent to file a claim.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating greater than 10 percent prior to March 3, 2016, and greater than 20 percent thereafter, for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The evidence does not support assigning higher ratings during either period of time at issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss began during his military service and is related to noise exposure, leading to a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and North Port Emergency Care Center on October 14, 2016 is granted. The treatment was provided in a hospital emergency department due to severe lower extremity pain and swelling related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for high frequency sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection. The Veteran's preexisting hearing loss is alleged not to have been aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and tinnitus, have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded for further consideration, including a review of whether the effective date should be prior to May 15, 2017.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims for various conditions as the appellant died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's hearing loss prior to November 11, 2015 was rated at 20 percent. Since then, the rating has been maintained at 20 percent.

The Board has decided that a more contemporaneous examination is needed to determine the nature and likely etiology of any diagnosed bilateral hearing loss, which was not previously evaluated.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations, treatment records, and verification of his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and etiology of his peripheral neuropathy and bilateral hearing loss. The claims will be reviewed on a de novo basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,The Board has remanded the issues regarding sleep disturbance, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, left hand disability, right hand disability, shin splints of the right leg, and shin splints of the left leg to allow for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that it originated during active service due to noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and TDIU are remanded due to new evidence received since the final June 2011 rating decision. The Veteran is requested to provide his Social Security Administration (SSA) records, including all administrative decisions on his application for SSA disability benefits and underlying medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, but denied left ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence meeting VA's definition of a disability. The claim for hypertension is remanded as the VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion.,Service connection for hypertension will be remanded to determine if any service-connected disabilities caused or substantially contributed to the Veteran's obesity and subsequent hypertension.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision denying service connection for hearing loss was not based on a complete review of the evidence, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination.