Hearing loss decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, so the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable (0%) throughout the appeal period, with Level II hearing in the left ear and no worse than Level II in the right ear. The Board denied a compensable rating for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in his right ear, finding that he does not meet the criteria for a current disability of hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to support the Veteran's claims for service connection of PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and sinusitis. As such, these claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder and lumbar strain with scoliosis, render him unable to secure or maintain a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient reasoning in a previous opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is service-connected. The case will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as it was present prior to service and did not worsen during service.,Service connection for tinnitus is also denied because the condition did not manifest within one year of separation from service, and there is no evidence linking current tinnitus to military noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for PTSD, but remanded several other issues due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service due to exposure to noise.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to a failure to respond to the Veteran's objections regarding the competence of the VA examiners who provided medical opinions on his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has found that the Veteran's hearing loss may not be directly attributable to service, but further examination is needed to determine if it was aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus or caused by any in-service toxic exposure risk activities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Veteran was granted a rating of 30 percent for chronic cystitis, traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine, and bilateral hearing loss since November 18, 2019.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for acquired psychiatric disorder and migraines, finding no evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to conflicting evidence regarding the onset and causation of his claimed disabilities. The appeals are currently pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right ankle condition, gall bladder condition, migraine headaches, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric condition (PTSD) due to incomplete information and need for further examination or evidence.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection, but the claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, did not result in an inability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 1, 2017. The Board denied the claim for TDIU based on insufficient evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous instructions, and another examination is needed.