Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the case for further development regarding a right shoulder disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, bilateral knee, bilateral eye condition, and left ear hearing loss as they are related to service. The claims will be reviewed again with new evidence and opinions from VA examiners.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to procedural issues, including not issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing the propriety of the rating reduction for service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss to include otitis media residuals was rated at 20 percent from November 25, 2019 onward. The Board found the evidence did not support higher ratings and denied the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of the service-connected hearing loss, specifically addressing whether the abnormal ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflexes are related to the service-connected hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives and the need for a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's service connection for coronary artery disease is granted as secondary to herbicide agent exposure.,PTSD and depressive disorder are rated at 50 percent, with no further issues on appeal regarding this condition.,Bilateral hearing loss has a non-compensable rating.,Prostate cancer remains in remission; the Veteran's current symptoms do not warrant an increased rating.,Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (femoral nerve) is rated at 10 percent prior to January 4, 2017 and at 20 percent from that date onward.,Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (femoral nerve) remains at a 20 percent rating.,Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (sciatic nerve) is rated at 40 percent, with no further issues on appeal regarding this condition.,Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (sciatic nerve) is rated at 40 percent, with no further issues on appeal regarding this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA opinions and missing VA treatment records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, but has remanded them for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss claim is denied.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus claims are granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability and no causal relationship between his in-service noise exposure and his current condition.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus and right ear hearing loss, and also denied a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability prior to November 27, 2020.

The Veteran's case is being remanded due to the need for additional audiograms associated with his VA audiological evaluations. The issue of determining an appropriate evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss will be reconsidered.

The Board has granted a TDIU from May 11, 2018 to December 5, 2019 due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's right hip condition and tinnitus were found to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment during this period.

Service connection for prostate condition, respiratory condition, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and skin condition is dismissed.,Service connection for PTSD is granted with an initial rating of 70 percent.

The rating reduction from 30 percent to 10 percent for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was improper, and the Veteran's disability rating is restored to 30 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Hashimoto's thyroiditis was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his request.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity were denied as there is no evidence that these conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's PTSD, along with his other service-connected conditions, has rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since July 15, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU on a schedular basis for this period.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right hip disorders, as well as left and right ankle disorders, are denied. The Board found that these conditions were less likely than not related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.