Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities, not a single disability, prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The decision is remanded due to the need for additional examination and analysis regarding the Veteran's exposure to noise during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, tension headaches, and erectile dysfunction must be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The increased rating claim for PTSD is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for additional examinations. The issues of gout, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, OSA, multiple painful joints, upper and lower back disorders, and bilateral hearing loss are all being addressed.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the condition was incurred in or aggravated by military service.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for asthma, as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if it is related to service.

The Veteran's hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, the lowest possible rating. The Board found that his hearing acuity did not meet criteria for a higher rating and that his symptoms were adequately contemplated by VA's schedular rating criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

A rating greater than 10 percent for service-connected right ear hearing loss from January 11, 2021 to November 12, 2021 is denied.,The 10 percent rating for the Veteran's painful right hip adduction/abduction (DC 5253) is restored, effective May 1, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss and service connection for his right ear hearing loss are being remanded due to the absence of pertinent VA audiology evaluation results.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or environmental exposures related to his Persian Gulf War service. The claim for tinnitus was remanded due to failure to consider all relevant medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to in-service noise exposure. The decision resolves all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, left and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathies associated with diabetes mellitus type II, diabetes mellitus type II, RLE and LLE peripheral neuropathies also associated with diabetes mellitus type II, tinnitus, and sinusitis, have resulted in a combined rating of 70 percent from December 30, 2019. The Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU and DEA based on these service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 11, 2015.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no medical evidence establishing a nexus between his current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure. The Board considered the Veteran's lay statements but found them not competent to establish causation.

Your hearing loss in the right ear is now considered service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, left knee arthritis, and initial ratings for left hip limitation of flexion and extension, as well as left ankle arthritis. The decision found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not meet or more nearly approximate the criteria for higher disability ratings at any point during the appeal period.