Hearing loss decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as damage to right eardrum causing hearing loss and tinnitus with entitlement to compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151, were denied because the submitted evidence was not new and relevant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted. The appeal for service connection for bladder cancer is dismissed as the Veteran has already been granted service connection with an effective date of September 24, 2019.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which may affect the determination of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected, with the exception that no rating or effective date is assigned.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility are denied as the evidence does not show that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 27, 2011.,The Board found no entitlement to TDIU prior to May 27, 2011, due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his ability to engage in activities such as painting and working on cars.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, with an average pure tone threshold of 31.25 and speech recognition scores at 94 percent in the left ear.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the duty to assist and remands the claims for further development. The Veteran's hearing loss, right arm disability (loss of range of motion), burn scars on various parts of his body, and service connection issues have been remanded.

The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and relevant evidence supports this decision. The Board concludes that the appellant's current hearing loss disability is more likely than not related to his in-service noise exposure on the flight line of an aircraft carrier.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss under the AMA system, which included a TDIU claim. The Board dismissed both the AMA and Legacy TDIU claims as part of the withdrawal.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, leading to a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of chronic in-service hearing loss or a relationship to noise exposure. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability within one year post-service.,Service connection for the left knee condition is denied due to lack of continuity of symptoms and negative findings during service. The Veteran's current complaints are attributed to post-service employment and weight gain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee replacements, as well as his bilateral hearing loss, are related to service. The VA is required to schedule a VA examination for these claims due to the lack of an adequate medical opinion in the record.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected, with the hearing loss being due to noise exposure during active duty and ACDUTRA. Tinnitus is secondary to his now service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of December 16, 1987. The claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for further VA evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remands and issues related to contact information. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric tests did not show any greater than Level II hearing loss in the right ear and Level III hearing loss in the left ear.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral Achilles tendonitis are being remanded due to an administrative error in the appeal process.