Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for right wrist tenosynovitis has been denied as no new and relevant evidence was submitted.,The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral foot disability, to include plantar fasciitis, have been granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The AOJ will remand this claim for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted as she submitted new and relevant evidence.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these appeals.

The Board has remanded the claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions. The Veteran's service connection claims are not granted at this time.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and a disorder characterized by dizziness. The case is being remanded to obtain an appropriate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's reported symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a failure to obtain VA treatment records from his active duty service, as well as an inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence received after a previous denial, but the Veteran was not provided with proper notice regarding this decision. The case must be returned to the AOJ for appropriate review rights notification.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ will obtain new medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability of left ear hearing loss to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes.,Service connection has been granted for allergic rhinitis. The Board finds that the evidence does not establish whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine condition is directly related to his active military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in the January 2021 VA medical opinion, which did not consider whether hearing loss is related to service noise exposure. The Veteran's hearing loss will need to be evaluated again by a VA clinician.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU prior to April 27, 2021, and DEA benefits prior to April 27, 2021 is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting these claims.

The Veteran's appeal of the issue regarding an earlier effective date for a 90 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated and found to not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be Level I in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The Board denied the claim for a compensable rating as there were no findings that more nearly approximated the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder is denied as it is not distinct from his service-connected unspecified anxiety and depressive disorders.,Bilateral hearing loss is denied due to the lack of current diagnosis meeting VA criteria.

The Board has granted entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status due to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and additional disabilities that combine to at least 60 percent disabling. However, SMC based on aid and attendance is denied as there is no evidence of actual requirements for personal assistance from others.

The Board has determined that the decision on appeal is flawed due to inadequate VA opinions and requires additional evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and headaches.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a failure to address certain treatment records and notify the appellant of their non-existence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and SMC have been remanded by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The hearing loss claim is denied as not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating prior to April 9, 2021. Service connection for ED secondary to major depressive disorder has also been remanded.