Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a fracture of the left wrist and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,The Veteran's headaches, neck disorder, back disorder, heart disorder, hypertension, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), anxiety, insomnia, sleep disturbances, and depression are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, throat, and respiratory disabilities due to failure of the Veteran to report to scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral eye condition, a body rash condition, a right knee condition, and a right index finger condition. The evidence does not show current disabilities for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left leg disability, right leg disability, and an acquired psych disorder have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and active military service.,Specifically, the Board found that the Veteran does not meet VA’s definition of hearing loss for the right ear. For the left ear, the Board concluded that there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between his current bilateral hearing loss and noise exposure in service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral foot disorder, pulmonary embolism, hernia disorder, right upper lung lymph nodes, and right upper lung calcified granuloma.,The claim for left ankle disorder was reopened due to new evidence received since the March 2017 rating decision.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level II in his right ear and Level III in his left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for the condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and the Board has remanded his claim for a back disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran is granted service connection for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, as his current condition is related to in-service acoustic noise trauma.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his military service. The examiner needs to provide a new opinion on this issue.

The Veteran's tinnitus and cervical spine disability are granted service connection, but his bilateral hearing loss disability is denied. The case is remanded for further examination to determine the etiology of the cervical spine disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, and a back disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the Veteran's back disorder.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection and entitlement to a compensable disability rating. Specifically, additional audiometric testing results are required, as well as medical opinions regarding the etiology of his sleep apnea and right knee condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension remain on appeal. The Board has previously remanded these issues, and the VA has conducted further examinations to address the Veteran's current disability levels.,For bilateral hearing loss, the Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent prior to July 1, 2020, and 50 percent from that date onwards. For hypertension, he is currently rated at 10 percent prior to July 5, 2020, and no higher rating has been assigned since then.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for a teeth condition and right ear hearing loss. The remaining issues are also being remanded due to additional evidence submitted since the initial decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus, are all denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding that the disabilities began during active service or were related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is granted based on the PACT Act presumption of herbicide exposure. The claims for chloracne, bilateral hearing loss disability, and disabilities of both shoulders are remanded as new evidence has been received but does not meet the materiality requirement to reopen.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, heart condition, and COPD are remanded due to the need to verify service-connected stressors, assess in-service exposure to asbestos and lead, and obtain medical opinions on the relationship between these conditions and military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions and evidence of record.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.