Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that his current diagnosis was not due to his active-duty service and did not manifest within one year of his discharge from service.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, bilateral knee condition (to include arthritis), bilateral hearing loss, and psychiatric condition due to a lack of service records and incomplete information regarding the Veteran's reported stressor.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the evidence does not support a finding of entitlement to such a rating.

The Veteran's increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 1, 2022 are denied. Ratings of 30 percent from September 1, 2022 to June 14, 2023 and 20 percent from June 15, 2023 are also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current disability that began during service or is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, right knee arthritis, tinnitus, and hearing loss of the right ear. The Veteran's current disabilities are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and his claim for service connection for a heart disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current sensorineural hearing loss is related to hazardous noise exposure during active service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete records. The Veteran's audiological evaluation from July 2015 needs to be obtained from the White City VAMC.

The Board has remanded multiple issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection and effective dates, including bilateral hearing loss, collar bone disabilities, hip disabilities, shoulder impingement syndrome, knee conditions, ankle sprains, foot contusions, and elbow scars.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional evaluations and evidence. The Board will not make a final determination on these issues until further review.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right elbow disability, right shoulder disability, and low back disability. ,However, the claims for a gastrointestinal disability, lung condition, and other disabilities are being remanded due to additional development needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete development and lack of an in-person VA examination. The case is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service connected.,The Veteran's left knee disability is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back pain, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, right knee damage, and left knee damage due to issues with scheduling VA examinations while the Veteran is incarcerated.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, PFB, knee disabilities, and hip disabilities, were denied. The Board found that the medical evidence did not support higher ratings based on the criteria provided in the rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and pain due to a lack of a VA examination. The Veteran's MOS was personnel specialist but he worked as an armorer during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore grants his claim for total disability based on individual unemployability.

The Board has granted service connection for DDD of the cervical spine. The other issues have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right foot disability. The Veteran's tinnitus is presumed to have been incurred during service due to in-service noise exposure. However, there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or continuity of symptoms related to the claimed hearing loss and right foot disabilities that can be traced back to service.