Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to ensure substantial compliance with a prior remand order, including obtaining private treatment records from Georgia Pacific. The Veteran is advised to report for a VA examination and updated medical records are requested.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

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

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with the most recent VA examination showing no exceptional pattern of hearing impairment and a numeric designation of Level I in both ears.

Service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension (claimed as high blood pressure), right foot diabetic neuropathy, and left foot diabetic neuropathy has been denied.,The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed due to the grant of service connection in a previous decision.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The claim will be further evaluated with a VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's claims for psychiatric disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, and right shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their onset and etiology.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss but has remanded the issue of service connection for a back condition due to insufficient evidence.

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

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted. The hearing loss and pes planus claims are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability but denied service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability. The decision is based on the Veteran's noise exposure in service and medical opinions linking the current hearing loss to that exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of service connection for restless leg syndrome and dizziness/motion sickness due to errors in VA's pre-decisional duty to assist.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and sinusitis due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran's claim for sinusitis is being remanded because of inadequate examination reports.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for rhinitis and a higher disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, and has remanded the case to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is granted with an effective date of January 31, 2017. The decision also corrects a clear and unmistakable error by granting service connection for major depression with a 70% initial rating effective January 31, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal for eligibility to direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in an October 2020 Rating Decision has been dismissed because the appellant withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety, and unspecified depressive disorder due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The Board finds that there is a current disability, in-service event, and causal relationship between the conditions and active service, thus granting service connection.

The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection for tension headaches has been granted.,The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no persuasive evidence to warrant a higher rating.