Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss remains denied. The Board has remanded the case to obtain a proper medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the service connection claim for a low back disorder due to the Veteran's assertion of injury during active duty and the presence of lumbar spondylosis, lumbar spinal stenosis, and disc disorder with radiculopathy in private treatment records. The claim is being returned for further evaluation.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement. The claim for service connection for left elbow condition is remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is service connected, but also finds that a VA examination and opinion are needed to address potential other right ear disabilities. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right ear disability is being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, left hand condition, right hand condition, and sleep apnea are denied. The claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD is also denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions including left hip, right hip, left shoulder, and right shoulder conditions, as well as COPD and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not show a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's low back condition and left ear hearing loss are granted as service connected. The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding the cause of the left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disability, right ankle disability, deviated nasal septum, nerve disability (tingling and numbness) secondary to service-connected lumbosacral strain, bilateral hearing loss disability, left knee disability, abdominal scar, and skin cancer.,The Board also remanded claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and prostate cancer.

The Board denied the appeal because the March 2021 VA Form 20-0996 (HLR Request) was untimely and invalid regarding the March 2019 AMA rating decision, December 2018 legacy rating decision, and November 2016 legacy rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and headaches have been denied. The claim for hypertension is remanded due to the failure to review relevant VA treatment records.,Service connection has not been established for a lumbar spine disability.

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development regarding cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran's claimed bilateral shoulder disability, right ear hearing loss, or left ear hearing loss due to lack of a current diagnosis.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability is dismissed as the claim has been fully granted in a previous rating decision.,The appeals of right and left upper extremity neurological impairment (numbness) are dismissed due to jurisdictional defects. The issues were not properly appealed within one year of the March 2011 rating decision denying service connection for these conditions.,The appeal of vision disability is dismissed as refractive error, which is not a compensable condition under VA compensation laws.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during his time as a material supplyman. As such, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination, and the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is considered a disability based on audiometric testing. The issue is whether it is at least as likely as not that the hearing loss developed in service or is otherwise causally related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology is not established, and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have not been readjudicated due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder including generalized anxiety disorder with persistent depressive disorder and phobic anxiety disorder, and sleep apnea are remanded as there is a duty to obtain additional medical opinions that address the onset and relationship of these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, hypertension, chronic obstructive lung disease, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and residuals of a right foot injury are all denied. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is also remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were not granted service connection, and the claims are being remanded for further review.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and incomplete service records. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is being reviewed again with additional information.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, finding that it is attributable to service.