Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's diagnosed cardiac disabilities are due to service or exposure to burn pits in the Persian Gulf.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The issues are still pending as they were not decided on their merits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for depression/anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, pes planus (right and left feet), and a vision condition due to additional development being required. The claims are currently pending.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed.,The appeals for service connection for a left knee disorder and a stomach disorder have been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. Bilateral hearing loss is considered to be due to in-service exposure to acoustic trauma, while tinnitus is attributed to the Veteran's military duties involving prolonged noise exposure.

The Board dismissed the appeal as the appellant lacks standing to challenge the May 2012 rating decision on behalf of the deceased Veteran or file a freestanding claim for an earlier effective date based on CUE in the May 2012 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, sleep apnea, hydrocele of the right testicle, and a right ankle disability due to insufficient evidence or lack of adequate examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a hearing disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since August 16, 2018. The most recent audiometric testing in October 2022 showed that the Veteran's hearing was at a Level II impairment in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of noise exposure during service and noting that his current hearing loss is more likely due to normal age-related decline rather than military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right inguinal hernia repair due to lack of evidence of current disability meeting VA compensation criteria. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to a 10 percent evaluation for multiple, noncompensable, service-connected disabilities is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, high blood pressure, and degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine (previously rated as thoracic scoliosis) was denied. The Veteran received a 10 percent rating for his high blood pressure effective October 24, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a sinus disability due to biological chemical exposure, as additional development is needed to address the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of the compensable disability evaluation for service-connected left ear hearing loss and the propriety of reducing the rating from 10 percent to 0 percent effective September 1, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right and left knee conditions due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's contentions and evidence.