Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected, but his bilateral hearing loss remains in dispute due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Board has ordered remand for an addendum opinion.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss due to the absence of a current disability meeting VA's definition of impaired hearing. The right ear hearing loss claim is remanded for further development, including scheduling an audiological examination and providing an etiological opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during service and have been continuous since service separation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, right hand disability, and left hand disability due to a lack of current diagnoses and no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining a VA medical opinion.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss as the appellant died during the appeal process.

The Board has identified procedural due process errors and the case will be remanded to allow for additional evidence submission related to service connection claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric condition including PTSD, with generalized anxiety disorder with unspecified depressive disorder. Service connection was denied for bilateral eye condition and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the VA opinion is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, including whether it began in service or is related to noise exposure during military service. The examiner must also opine on whether the Veteran's hearing loss is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's service connection claims for back impairment, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and heart impairment have been granted. The claim for psychiatric impairment other than PTSD is dismissed as part of the grant of service connection for PTSD. Service connection has also been granted for bilateral glaucoma due to in-service eye injury but not secondary to cataracts. The issue of service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD remains pending.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to procedural errors in previous decisions.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, service connection was not established due to lack of nexus between the conditions and service, and the criteria for presumptive service connection were not met.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to missing service treatment records and unattempted private medical record requests.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 70 percent rating, and his bilateral hearing loss is denied an initial compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss due to an inadequate VA examination and the need for a new opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing acuity did not warrant a higher than 50 percent evaluation. The claim for service connection for low back strain was also denied due to lack of in-service injury or incident.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no final decision could be made on the service connection claims.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for multiple sclerosis, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left foot pain due to a lack of SSA records. The Veteran's SSA records are requested as they may contain relevant information.

The Veteran's hypertension is manifested by systolic pressures predominantly less than 160 and diastolic pressures less than 100; the Veteran requires continuous medication to control his hypertension. The appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for hypertension is denied.,The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a lack of in-service audiometric data under both ASA and ISO-ANSI standards, requiring additional examination.,The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for stroke residuals is remanded due to the need for an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to active service, including exposure to herbicides.,The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for skin cancer is remanded due to the need for an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to active service, including exposure to herbicides.,The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include posttraumatic stress disorder) is remanded due to the need for an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to active service.