Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claim for a new VA examination to reassess the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence is approximately balanced as to whether his current condition is related to in-service noise exposure. As a result of resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, he is now entitled to this benefit.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider any new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and sleep disability due to a duty to assist error.,Service connection was denied for all conditions as there is no evidence showing they were incurred or aggravated during active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's VA Form 9 was timely filed due to good cause for non-receipt of the January 2020 Statement of the Case, and thus accepted it as timely. The appeal is granted in part.

The Veteran's requests for higher ratings for labyrinthitis and right ear hearing loss were denied as the evidence did not support a rating in excess of the current assigned disability ratings.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The decision found no hearing loss in the left ear, a non-compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, and that the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent was assigned for hallux valgus of the left foot and Morton's neuroma of the left foot with arthritis of the first metatarsal joint.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not have their onset in service, were not manifested within one year of separation from service, and are not otherwise related to service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are due to noise exposure during active duty.

The Board denied service connection for lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow and erectile dysfunction, as well as a compensable rating for residuals of a perforated ear drum (healed ruptured right tympanic membrane) and left ear hearing loss. The claim for a rating for right eardrum scar was granted with a 10 percent rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an effective date prior to August 26, 2019 for the grants of service connection for tinnitus and right ear hearing loss. The RO received the Veteran's initial VA claim on August 26, 2019, but there is no evidence of a formal or informal claim prior to that date.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for chest pain, ear disorder, dental impairment, allergies, and psychiatric impairment due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss claim is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation and denied the claim for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability are granted as service connected, with onset during active combat service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claims for erectile dysfunction, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension were all addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and hypertrophic gastritis have been denied. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for tinnitus, neck disability, back disability, right shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right ankle disability, and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, as his major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, left leg disability, right leg disability, and right shoulder disability have been granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence.,Service connection has been denied for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of clarity regarding the speech discrimination scores used in the private audiology report, which could affect the disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.