Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss was not due to his period of active service and is more likely age-related.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of left ankle injury was denied.,Service connection for the Veteran's back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were all denied.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and an increased rating for asthma. The Board has found that the Veteran meets the schedular requirements for TDIU, but remanded for further development regarding his asthma claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and acquired psychiatric disorder rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus granting entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to his request for withdrawal of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and heart condition were denied as there was no current disability found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, specifically a missing comprehensive audiometry threshold evaluation report from June 2021. The Veteran is presumed to have left ear hearing loss for VA ratings purposes based on his Maryland CNC test result.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, cardiovascular disability, renal disorder, colon cancer, and a disorder resulting from a strain of the herpes virus. The AOJ is directed to obtain additional medical records and provide new VA medical opinions as requested.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss ratings are being remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated noncompensable, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on her service-connected PTSD and left ear hearing loss. The decision does not address any other conditions or issues.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for bilateral hearing loss as of August 22, 2022. However, the issue of whether the Veteran was entitled to a compensable rating prior to that date is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as the withholding of VA disability compensation benefits in the amount of $1,649.89 for 115 training days for FY 2016 was proper.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The claims are being remanded to determine the current level of disability for hearing, address whether the lower back condition is related to service or proximately caused by hip conditions, and consider in-service use of NSAIDs for other conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of recent VA examination for right ear hearing loss and because there are no records from the Veteran's private ear testing specialist, Miracle Ears. The Veteran will be asked to provide authorization for these records.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete audiological testing results from previous VA appointments and requests that the RO obtain specific audiological examination results.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic ear infections, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral hearing loss as secondary to chronic ear infections, and tinnitus have been granted.,Service connection is established for chronic ear infections, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral hearing loss as secondary to chronic ear infections, and tinnitus as secondary to chronic ear infections.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of such a disability, and the evidence does not meet the criteria for a current disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a lumbar spine disability, and a left shoulder disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other compensable cause.

The Veteran's appeals for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.