Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is granted as it is secondary to a fall during active duty. The claims for left ear hearing loss, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dysentery, left elbow disability, middle back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability are denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss has worsened since his last VA examination, and a new VA audiometric evaluation is needed to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's in-service acoustic trauma caused permanent nerve damage leading to early signs of hearing loss and current disability. The decision is based on presumptive service connection due to chronic disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus and ear pain as a residual of in-service otitis.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examinations.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for depressive disorder is denied as there was no indication that he sought service connection prior to March 23, 2016.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted based on in-service noise exposure. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from June 11, 2018 until March 30, 2022. The Board granted TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as not caused by or related to active-duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and BPPV are remanded due to the need for a VA audiological evaluation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected due to continuous symptoms since service, meeting the requirements for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation during the period from February 1, 2007 to February 22, 2010. Therefore, a TDIU rating on an extraschedular basis is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding an etiological opinion for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and CAD, as the claims were not filed within one year of receipt of incomplete forms.,An earlier effective date of April 9, 2011 was granted for service connection of CAD due to its inclusion in a list of diseases presumptively associated with herbicide exposure. The Veteran's claim for service connection for surgical scarring related to CAD was also granted on the same date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for OSA has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD related to military service.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, with the onset likely during service aboard the U.S.S. Bataan.,Service connection is remanded for bilateral hearing loss due to potential noise exposure in service.,An initial rating in excess of 10 percent is remanded for left knee disability and right knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete compliance with prior remand directives. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is inextricably intertwined with his hearing loss claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period (1 year of separation from service). Continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's initial rating for posttraumatic stress disorder with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, prior to October 29, 2018, was denied as his claim was part of a TDIU application. The Board remanded the TDIU claim due to insufficient evidence.,The Veteran's total disability rating for individual unemployability, prior to October 29, 2018, was referred to the Compensation Service Director for further review.