Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level XI in the right ear and Level I in the left ear, resulting in a 10 percent rating. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss disability is related to his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on audiometric test results.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to incomplete records and potential errors in the duty to assist. The Board cannot consider evidence not submitted at the time of the March 2021 decision on appeal.

The Board dismissed the appeals of service connection for right shoulder joint pain with impingement and left ear hearing loss due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a vision condition is denied as there is no evidence of current disability.,Service connection for low back and left knee conditions is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease.,Service connection for right knee and bilateral hearing loss conditions is denied as the evidence does not show any link to service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart palpitations is granted, with the condition being proximately due to service.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic renal disease, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee osteoarthritis and the medication prescribed for those disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge from active duty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent prior to January 29, 2024. Since then, a rating of 30 percent is granted.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied due to a lack of current evidence, while the claim for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there were no audiometric results showing impairment beyond 20 percent.

The Board has found that new and relevant evidence supports reopening the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the August 2020 VA examination was inadequate. The Veteran's recent VA audiological consult results are not associated with the record, and a remand is required to provide these records and schedule an appropriate VA audio examination.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to an error in the AOJ's decision process. The October 5, 2020 audiological evaluation needs to be associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's restoration of a 40 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted effective April 1, 2024. The appeal was not about service connection but rather the restoration of an existing rating.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to errors in the Appeals Modernization Act system. The Board has remanded several issues for further action.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The effective date for the grants was set at July 26, 2018.,The Veteran's asthma is currently rated as 30 percent disabling.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss did not meet the definition of hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board found no evidence to warrant a higher rating based on the provided medical records.