Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the current noncompensable (0%) rating is appropriate and no higher rating is warranted.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion associated with the claims file are inadequate for the current purposes, as they do not address whether the appellant's bilateral hearing loss is related to service due to conceded hazardous noise exposure. The Board therefore remands the case for a new examination and opinion.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to active service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability and a compensable rating for a right ear hearing loss disability due to inadequate VA examination and opinion prior to issuing the April 2022 rating decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for gout and bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate examination.,For lumbosacral strain, right knee degenerative arthritis, fatty liver disease (claimed as hepatitis C), and bilateral hearing loss, service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the VA audiological examination is inadequate and remands the case for an appropriate VA audiology examination to address whether current hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since March 7, 2022. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is remanded and requires further investigation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were previously denied in May 2019 due to lack of a current disability or link to service. New evidence submitted after the May 2019 decision does not provide new and relevant information that would change this determination.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as 0 percent disabling, and the appeal for an increased initial compensable evaluation is denied.

The Veteran's non-VA prescription medications for a nonservice-connected condition were not reimbursable as VA did not pre-authorize the care and it was not rendered in an emergency.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his service, but further clarification is needed regarding his periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The right knee disability claims require an addendum medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's knee conditions had their onset during ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are causally related to her exposure to noise during active duty.,Both conditions were found to be directly related to military service without requiring a presumption or secondary service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of current disability. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied because the auditory thresholds did not meet the definition of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes, while the claim for tinnitus was remanded due to insufficient medical opinion.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.