Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the case for further action regarding traumatic brain injury.

The Board has decided that a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is denied. The claim for service connection of erectile dysfunction, to include as secondary to diabetes mellitus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and exposure to Agent Orange (AO), is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of updated VA audiograms, which are necessary for determining if the Veteran's hearing loss has worsened.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and back disability for further examination and development.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including left ear hearing loss, right fifth (little) finger disability, poor vision, low back and right knee disabilities, sleep apnea, allergies, heart rhythm, and hypertension. The Veteran is required to undergo further examinations for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of right knee injury, and residuals of right ankle injury. The claims were not reopened as new and material evidence was not provided.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hearing loss and his military service. The examiner was directed to consider various factors, including threshold shifts in audiograms, exposure to artillery, and statements about difficulty hearing young children.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to failure to provide requested medical opinions and compliance with the April 2023 Board remand.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and has continued since then. Service connection for this condition is granted.,VA examination did not find hearing loss in either ear at the time of the January 2017 VA examination, but the Veteran reported worsening symptoms since that time. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded for a new VA examination to determine if current hearing loss disability exists and its etiology.,The Veteran's lumbar spine condition, bilateral knee conditions (left and right), left hand condition, and left shoulder condition are all remanded as the January 2017 VA examiner did not provide opinions regarding their direct relationship to service. A new VA examination is required for these claims.,The Veteran's left ankle condition and right ankle condition are both remanded as a new VA examination is needed to determine if current bilateral ankle conditions exist and their etiology.,The Veteran's balance impairment is also remanded as no opinion has been provided regarding its relationship to service. A new VA examination is required for this claim.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a bilateral kidney disability has been withdrawn. The Board has remanded several other issues including skin, low back, psychiatric, headache, eye, hearing loss, tinnitus, carpal tunnel syndrome, hip, knee, and foot disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The issue is being remanded for further development.

The Board denied the claim for an extraschedular TDIU due to service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left mandible non-displaced fracture, and temporomandibular joint disorder as the Veteran's other service-connected disorders did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in a final decision. The Board has now granted the Veteran's secondary service connection claim for sleep apnea, finding that it is caused by his obesity, which is linked to his PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his left ankle injury, bilateral hearing loss, high blood pressure, acquired psychiatric disorder, and left shoulder disorder. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between the condition and service. The case is remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's claim for back disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred in service and has been chronic since then. The Board granted service connection for the condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection to bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that a new VA audiology examination is necessary to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, which may be related to service noise exposure.

The Veteran's initial compensable disability rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination, which did not provide necessary audiometric data.

Service connection is granted for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. Service connection is denied for left ear hearing loss.,The Veteran's skin disorder (claimed as chloracne) and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded for further evaluation.