Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss as defined by VA standards.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and pes planus have been remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The AOJ is required to readjudicate these claims in accordance with the new evidence.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as service connected, and the claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and incomplete records. The Veteran is entitled to additional etiology opinions on his acquired psychiatric, respiratory, cardiac, vestibular, hearing loss/tinnitus, and orthopedic disabilities.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected peripheral neuropathy disabilities, which have rendered him wheelchair dependent and unable to perform daily tasks.

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failing to schedule a VA examination for the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran was exposed to noise during his service and maintains that he developed bilateral hearing loss as a result.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of left ear hearing loss that meets VA criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol abuse disorder is granted as service-connected. Bilateral hearing loss and radiculopathy of the upper extremities are denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of 100 percent for coronary artery disease and 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss were denied as it is not factually ascertainable that the conditions increased in severity within a year before April 6, 2020.,Both conditions have been rated based on their current status without any indication of an increase in severity prior to one year from when the Veteran filed his claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to warrant the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, but a VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions alone cause such need.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's pre-existing conditions are at issue, and further examination is needed.

The Veteran's cause of death, a hemorrhagic stroke, is determined to be related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the appellant's hearing acuity is at Level I in both ears, which corresponds to a zero percent disability rating under DC 6100. The Board concluded that an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment was not shown.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran contends that his current hearing loss is related to noise exposure during service, but the VA examiner found no significant threshold shift and did not support a negative nexus opinion.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and hearing loss were granted with an effective date of February 1, 1999.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of verification of periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and/or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The examiner is requested to verify all such periods and conduct an examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss is related to his military service.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since March 10, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.