Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left ear hearing loss, finding that it is related to his military service and resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a diagnosis within one year of separation, and the Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to concerns about the adequacy of the September 2018 VA examination and the need for updated audiometric testing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right lower extremity, left lower extremity, and right upper extremity disabilities are denied due to lack of a current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no current disability of sleep apnea in the record.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there are outstanding service treatment records that need to be obtained. The VA will attempt to obtain these records from the appellant's National Guard unit, and an addendum opinion will be requested to determine the etiology of the disabilities.

Service connection for a dental disability manifested by loss of the front bottom teeth and top teeth is denied.,Service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is denied.

The Board has denied service connection for glaucoma and bilateral hearing loss, but has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disability.,Service connection is not granted for glaucoma or bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied, as well as his requests for effective dates prior to February 9, 2017. The initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied, while a 40 percent rating for right sciatic nerve radiculopathy from February 9, 2017 was granted.

The Board has decided that the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a back disorder, and a cerebral vascular accident are remanded due to additional development being necessary.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as new and material evidence was not received to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, back disability, right knee disability, and left ankle disability. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to address these issues.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss in both ears should be remanded due to new evidence not having been considered by the RO.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be at least as likely as not related to exposure to loud noise in service, and he has a current disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied. The rating for the back disability was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to January 21, 2020, and thereafter. Other claims for increased ratings or earlier effective dates were also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete development and a need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's alcohol use disorder is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is rated at 10 percent, and his left ear hearing loss is now rated at 20 percent. The Board found no evidence of more severe hearing loss than what was assigned.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluation of lumbar spine disability, service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, and bilateral hearing loss disability have been withdrawn. The appeal for service connection for arthralgia, bilateral knees has been reopened and granted to limited extent due to new evidence received since the July 2007 denial.

The Veteran's right knee disability status post total knee replacement is granted as service connection. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss, cervical/lumbar spine disability, hypertension (HTN), and abnormal heart rate are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has not resulted in a compensable initial rating, as the audiometric results do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's tables for rating hearing loss disability.