Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service connected. However, due to a lack of records regarding the location of his naval service and missing Social Security Administration records, the issues of service connection for fibromyalgia are remanded.

The appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claims. Service connection has been granted for coronary artery disease (CAD).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected conditions render him in need of aid and attendance, resulting in a grant of SMC at the (l) level.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his active duty service in Vietnam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and secondary service connection for hearing loss in his right ear, finding no direct or secondary relationship to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a hearing disability that meets VA criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration. Specifically, a new VA examination is needed for bilateral hearing loss, research must be conducted regarding potential asbestos exposure during service, and an addendum opinion on the relationship between tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea needs to be provided.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and PTSD are being remanded for further evaluation.,Service connection is also being remanded for a recurrent neurological disability, to include a seizure disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the appeal for a higher rating is denied.,Prior to September 28, 2021, the Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder was evaluated at 50 percent. The appeal for an increased rating is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate examination findings. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are presumed related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches and bilateral eye condition, are denied as there is no objective evidence of current disabilities. The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is less likely than not caused by military noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in the November 2018 VA examination, which did not address concerns regarding delayed onset of hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are both being reviewed for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 20 percent rating from September 14, 2016 to April 10, 2022.,A 100 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted from April 11, 2022 to December 18, 2022.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim has been denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent is already assigned. The right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss claims are remanded due to insufficient examination records.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability and denied service connection for left ankle disability and bilateral hearing loss. The decision is based on the Veteran's reported symptoms during service and lack of contemporaneous medical records.

The Board has determined that new evidence was added to the record since the last decision and must be reviewed by the AOJ before a final determination can be made on your claims.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable evaluation is not warranted based on the current evidence of record.