Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including a study on hearing loss. The Veteran needs another VA examination to determine if his right ear hearing loss is related to service, specifically noise exposure and/or head injury.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for referral to the Director of Compensation Service due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for initial increased ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal of entitlement to an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma associated with his military occupational specialty, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for Meniere's disease, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to December 3, 2012. The Board has remanded the case for further development including referral to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular TDIU consideration.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to substantially comply with a prior remand order regarding obtaining medical records from Dr. C.W.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD have been denied. The Veteran's hearing loss is rated as noncompensable prior to February 8, 2020, and at 20% thereafter. His PTSD is rated as 30% prior to February 8, 2020, and at 70% thereafter.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and missing VA examinations. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder), and loss of erectile power.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding no evidence of a current disability as defined by VA regulations.,Service connection was not granted because the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a current disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no persuasive evidence that it began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it had onset in, or is otherwise related to, active military service and whether it is caused or aggravated by the service-connected disabilities, including chronic pain from his service-connected knee and psychiatric disabilities.,The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and instability are remanded for appropriate examinations to determine their current severity with consideration of functional impairment on employability.,The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis and instability are remanded for appropriate examinations to determine their current severity with consideration of functional impairment on employability.,The Veteran's depressive disorder is remanded for an appropriate examination to determine its current severity.,Earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and ratings for the Veteran's left knee disability and depressive disorder are remanded as they may be related to his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's earlier effective date claims are inextricably intertwined with the increased rating issues.

The Board found no substantive appeal was filed with respect to the issues of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss and entitlement to service connection for a sleep disorder, thus dismissing the case.

The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether the Veteran is entitled to TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request to readjudicate his previously denied claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss because no new and relevant evidence was presented since the August 2018 dismissal of the claim.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to service.,The Board also denied service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right hip disorder, low back disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The decision found that there was no medical link between these conditions and military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are at least as likely as not related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to an insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss.

Service connection for a chronic kidney disability is denied as the Veteran's current condition is not related to an in-service injury or disease.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no evidence of chronicity within one year post-service and no relationship to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by hearing acuity of no worse than Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating (0 percent). The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss.