Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that there is no showing of any incidents of hearing loss or tinnitus while in service and no showing of a continuity of symptomatology after service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board has found that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of sinusitis, bilateral hearing loss, plantar fascitis, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, chronic bronchitis, left knee strain, right knee strain, lumbosacral strain, pes planus, or leg length discrepancy.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded to allow for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.

Your appeal for service connection regarding your bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed because you requested to withdraw the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury or disease. The claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for neck, back, left elbow, right elbow, left hand, right hand, left wrist, and right wrist disabilities are denied. Headaches claim is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability have been denied. The Board has also remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea (OSA), acquired psychiatric disability including PTSD and depression, right foot disability, and left foot disability.,For his right ear hearing loss, the Veteran was not granted a compensable rating.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of November 17, 2020 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the duty to assist and is remanding the case for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence does not establish a nexus to active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,Both conditions are related to in-service hazardous noise exposure during combat.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a VA audiology examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, including conceded noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The claim will be reviewed again with a new examination and opinion.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed because he is already receiving a combined schedular rating of 100% for his service-connected disabilities, which means he does not have any single disability rated as totally disabling and thus does not meet the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, incontinence, and left lower extremity radiculopathy were denied. The claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was also denied.,The Veteran's requests for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and left lower extremity radiculopathy, as well as earlier effective dates for service connection for left ear hearing loss and left lower extremity radiculopathy, were not granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not incurred during the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss and is remanding the case for further examination to determine if there are any residuals from a head injury. The decision on service connection remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical evidence and the need for an independent medical expert (IME) opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss due to lack of a current disability. The left ear hearing loss claim is remanded for further development and an addendum opinion.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability was not related to his military service due to a lack of significant threshold shifts in his hearing during service and no complaints or treatment for decrease in hearing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to obtain an addendum from the April 2019 VA examiner regarding the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and its relation to his current bilateral hearing loss.