Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded several issues, including service connection for PTSD, schizophrenia, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), tremors in the upper extremities, right hand and fifth digit arthritis, right knee disability, left knee disability, and fainting spells with shortness of breath. The effective date for service connection remains February 2, 2018.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent effective November 28, 2023.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's actual in-service noise exposure is a key factor that needs to be addressed by VA examiners.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding records and needs to obtain them for proper evaluation of the Veteran's claims. The issues include determining appropriate ratings, establishing service connection, and increasing the rating for Meniere's syndrome.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, with the tinnitus service connection being established. The increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of adequate rationale in the VA examination opinion provided prior to the rating decision on appeal.

The Board has vacated the January 2024 decision and granted increased disability ratings for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction (Nehmer Granted), hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and thrombosis. The Veteran also received SMC based on aid and attendance.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral hearing loss were dismissed due to the failure to timely file a VA Form 10182, which is required by law.

The Board has determined that the case needs to be remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including incomplete or inaccurate factual premises in medical opinions and missing audiogram results. The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and hypohidrosis/anhidrosis are being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA eligibility, stating that service connection was not established prior to April 29, 2010, and therefore, no earlier effective date could be assigned.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.,Service connection for nerve damage/right lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were dismissed because the VA Form 10182 was not timely filed.

The Veteran's claims for erectile dysfunction, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and hypertension were denied as there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,For left ear hearing loss, the claim was not addressed due to lack of a diagnosis during or prior to the appeal period.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for various disabilities due to missing STRs and incomplete VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for hearing loss is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. An examination must be scheduled to determine the current severity of his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The claims for left knee condition and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Board has determined that the initial rating decision for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is inadequate due to an error in obtaining/maintaining a seal during the January 2019 VA examination, which may have affected the accuracy of the results. The case is being remanded to correct this issue.

The Board has remanded the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to service, and whether it should be granted as direct service connection or reopened due to new evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable (0 percent) disabling since November 13, 2021. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to the functional impact of his hearing loss being contemplated by the assigned rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, and the claim for an increased rating is denied.,The Veteran's service-connected dry eye syndrome is now rated at 20 percent.