Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.,The petition to reopen the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral pes planus, and bilateral plantar fascia are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have met the schedular criteria for a TDIU from June 28, 2022. The Board finds that he is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due solely to his service-connected disabilities as of May 1, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to her in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his in-service noise exposure. The Board concluded that the current disabilities are less likely than not related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records that may be pertinent to his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee instability and degenerative joint disease of the right knee, as well as right ear hearing loss, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to February 15, 2017. The Board granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 21, 2022 and from that date was denied. The Board found the evidence did not support a finding of entitlement to a compensable rating prior to September 21, 2022 or a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and a bilateral foot condition have been granted. The initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss has been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis, xeroderma of the hands, perforated duodenal ulcer (gastrointestinal disability), and GERD. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic kidney disease due to non-compliance with previous remand directives. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for a recurrent seizure disability claimed as the result of anthrax vaccination residuals. Service connection is not granted.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these issues.,Service connection claims for high lead in bone marrow, sleep apnea, and low testosterone were denied as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraines, bilateral flat feet, a bilateral shoulder condition, asthma, cervical spine condition, thoracolumbar spine condition, and bilateral knee conditions are being remanded as further medical examination is needed to determine the nature and cause of these disabilities.,Your current hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating remains denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss and remanded the issues of an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and TDIU due to service-connected disability.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating based on audiometric test results and speech recognition scores.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's headaches are found to be related to his service-connected cervical spine disability.,The Veteran's TBI is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active service.

The Veteran's SMC based on housebound status is denied as he does not have a single service-connected disability rated at 100% or TDIU due to a single service-connected disability.

The Board found no evidence of the claimed disabilities during service or within one year post-service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues of mental health disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney stone condition, right knee disability, left knee disability, osteoarthritis of the cervical spine associated with ankylosing spondylitis, and left hip condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss disability and its connection to military noise exposure.