Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has dismissed the appeals for ratings of lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left leg radiculopathy, right leg radiculopathy, and bilateral hearing loss as the appellant withdrew his appeal through his authorized representative.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of left side buttock injury, lower back joint pain, and left shoulder rotator cuff injury and pain. The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability as there is no evidence of current disability recognized by VA standards.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for scar from gallbladder surgery was denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea, as well as allergic rhinitis (claimed as sinusitis), were remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is determined to have begun during his active duty service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus disability is related to his active service and granted service connection for this condition. The decision on bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability, finding that it is etiologically related to noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was granted a 50 percent rating from October 1, 2019 to August 17, 2020. The appeal is denied for ratings in excess of this amount.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and ischemic heart disease are granted as service-connected. Diabetes mellitus, type II and cataracts (secondary to diabetes mellitus) are remanded for further development.

The appeals for whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for service connection for left and right ear hearing loss have been dismissed.,The appeals for entitlement to service connection for colon polyps and psoriatic arthritis have been dismissed.,New and material evidence having been received, the claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions are reopened; to this extent only, the appeals are granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of updated evidence. The issues include increased evaluations for various knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service, and the Veteran's current hearing loss did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation from active duty.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability from January 10, 2019. However, the RO failed to properly effectuate this decision and the case is REMANDED for further action.

The Veteran was granted TDIU from August 19, 2009 to March 24, 2017 due to his service-connected psychiatric disability and other conditions preventing him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to the Veteran's death before a decision was made.

The Veteran's claim for left ear hearing loss has been dismissed as the Regional Office has already granted it.,Right ear hearing loss is denied because there is no evidence of a current disability during the period on appeal.,Chalazion of the left eyelid, also claimed as a left eye disability, is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. Additional audiometric testing and a new examination are needed to determine if he has a current hearing loss disability related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss. The examiner is asked to provide a rationale for their opinion and consider the treatise evidence provided by the Veteran's representative.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss has been manifested by hearing acuity of no worse than Level III in the right ear and no worse than Level III in the left ear, which equates to a 0 percent disability rating under Diagnostic Code 6100. The criteria for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss are not met.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and rating for various conditions, including depression, knee degenerative joint disease, jaw fracture residuals, sleep apnea, migraines, eczema, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right shoulder disability, bilateral ear disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, left ankle disability, and hypertension. The Veteran is asked to provide additional VA clinical documentation for review.