Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear and right ear hearing loss disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a relationship to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiners' opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran needs a new examination to determine if his hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The PTSD rating and TDIU prior to April 29, 2019 are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability and concluding that his current hearing loss is more likely due to occupational and recreational noise exposure than military service.

Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.,The Veteran's PTSD disability rating is remanded due to lack of recent examination.,The Veteran's left shoulder and right shoulder disabilities are remanded as the VA opinion did not address combat participation.,The Veteran's left wrist disability is remanded as the VA opinion did not address combat participation.,The Veteran's back disability is remanded as the VA opinion did not address combat participation.,The Veteran's left leg and left ankle disabilities are remanded as the VA opinion did not address combat participation.,,

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of compliance with prior remand directives. The AOJ must adjudicate the issues of service connection for memory impairment and balance issues as secondary to bilateral hearing loss, along with evaluating the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left knee disability, lumbar spine disability, right knee disability, and left ankle disability due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the invalidity of the private hearing evaluation and the need for a new VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed.,The Veteran's application to reopen his claims of service connection for COPD and Parkinson's disease due to herbicide exposure is granted.

The Veteran's Parkinson's Disease is granted service connection due to in-service herbicide exposure. The effective date for right ear hearing loss is set at February 23, 2011. Service connection for tinnitus is denied as the claim was not filed within one year of the August 2008 rating decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. His chronic shin splints of the right lower leg are now considered service-connected.,Service connection is granted for his dental disability, but it does not meet the criteria for VA compensation purposes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as it results in no worse than Level I hearing acuity.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate examination and the need for a new one with proper consideration of the Veteran's exposure to combat noise in service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including attempted corroboration of in-service stressors and a VA mental health examination to determine the nature and etiology of any posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has allowed the petition to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded it due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's current hearing loss is being evaluated further.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to failure of the Veteran to report for VA examinations. The issues will be reviewed again after further development.

The Veteran's PTSD and bilateral hearing loss have been addressed, with the Board finding that his PTSD warrants a 70% rating for the entire appeal period. The initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 24, 2020, has been denied, as well as any rating in excess of 20% from that date onwards. Additionally, entitlement to TDIU is granted.