Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is attributable to his hazardous noise exposure in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to April 27, 2014 is being remanded. Additionally, the earlier effective date for DEA benefits is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the TDIU issue.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and a separate psychiatric disability (presumed to be an eating disorder) have all been denied. The Veteran's PTSD has also not met the criteria for an increased rating.,Specifically, the Board found that there is no current evidence of hearing loss in either ear meeting VA criteria, and thus service connection cannot be granted. For her right ear hearing loss, while a current disability was established, it was determined to be less likely than not related to service. The Veteran's eating disorder was also deemed unrelated to service.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of service connection for Hashimoto thyroiditis, asthma, and acute bronchitis due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between his disabilities and active service. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if any of his claimed conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he does not have a currently diagnosed disability that meets the VA definition of impaired hearing.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right knee disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left hip disorder, and right hip disorder due to lack of current disability. The claims are REMANDED for additional development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left ear hearing loss due to incomplete service personnel records and STRs. The Veteran's complete service personnel records, including his entrance and separation reports from active duty and Army Reserve service, need to be obtained.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and increased ratings related to alcohol use disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, right knee pain, right shoulder pain, irritable bowel syndrome, hearing loss, and eczema.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to his military noise exposure. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss due to the Veteran not meeting the criteria for a disability. The right ear hearing loss claim is remanded as there was an inadequate opinion in the original decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss and tinnitus due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus, attributing the latter to military noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding no evidence of a disability under VA criteria and noting that the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability in either ear.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated at 0 percent since September 25, 2021. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to the consistent and stable nature of his hearing acuity levels.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability.,A 30 percent rating, but no higher, for GERD is granted. The Veteran has symptoms of considerable impairment of health and the evidence shows that his GERD causes considerable impairment of health.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 10 percent as there is pain and some limitation of motion without more severe manifestations such as ankylosis or significant range of motion limitations.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 10 percent due to the presence of pain and some limitation of motion, but without evidence of more severe manifestations like ankylosis or significant range of motion limitations.,The Veteran's TBI residuals are not shown to warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Code 8045.,The Veteran's psoriasis is not shown to manifest as characteristic lesions involving at least 5 percent of the entire body or requiring intermittent systemic therapy, thus preventing him from receiving a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded all service connection claims for accrued benefits purposes due to a failure to obtain relevant medical records and associate them with the claims file.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded for further adjudication.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and the Board found that his service connection for plantar fasciitis should be remanded due to incomplete records from his National Guard service.