Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder, neck, back, and bilateral hearing loss conditions. Service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran was not provided with a VA examination as required by law.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities did not have their onset during or within one year after service, nor were they related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of January 1, 2022.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including CAD, prostate cancer residuals, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU on schedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current conditions did not manifest in or were caused by military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were denied as there was no evidence of symptoms warranting a compensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) and bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence regarding in-service stressors for PTSD and because the Veteran was homeless at the time of the January 2019 letter requesting information about his stressors.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted as it meets the criteria for a current disability and there is a link to service.,Right ear hearing loss is denied because no current disability was found, despite in-service noise exposure.

The Board has dismissed the appeals of the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus due to a procedural defect.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including traumatic brain injury and related conditions, have resulted in a TDIU effective February 16, 2023.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a relationship between current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, GERD, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and tremors has been granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is set at May 4, 2012. A TDIU due solely to PTSD was granted as of May 1, 2022. Service connection for other conditions remains pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss, ulcerative colitis, bilateral flatfoot, and back condition due to insufficient evidence or need for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of skin cancer excision scars, bilateral hearing loss, and multiple noncompensable disabilities are dismissed. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hypertension, as well as his claims for arthritis of various joints.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, have rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with her work and education background.

The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus, BHL disability, OSA, and TMJ disorder with bruxism were all granted service connection.,All issues on appeal have been resolved in the Veteran's favor.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and digestive disorder due to lack of evidence meeting VA standards for a current disability. The Veteran's contentions regarding etiology are not considered sufficient to establish service connection.