Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA regulatory criteria.

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

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all claims related to the listed conditions, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a hearing disability for VA purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the issue of hearing loss due to a lack of clarity in the December 2021 VA treatment record regarding whether word recognition scores were calculated using the Maryland CNC criteria.

The Board has denied service connection for erectile dysfunction and left ear hearing loss, finding no current diagnosis or evidence of such conditions during the appeal period.,For the period on appeal, the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was rated as noncompensable due to having a puretone threshold at 52.5 decibels with an average score of 52.5 and a speech recognition score of 98%.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in physical loss of use of one or both hands or feet, permanent impairment of vision in both eyes, severe burn injury precluding effective operation of an automobile, ALS, or ankylosis of one or both knees or one or both hips. Therefore, the Veteran does not meet the eligibility criteria for financial assistance to purchase a vehicle and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, high blood pressure, back disability, hand and foot degenerative arthritis, pes planus, migraine disability, and concussion disability, were denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of these conditions or evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date than July 1, 2022, for additional dependency compensation for his current spouse was denied as he did not provide all necessary information to establish their relationship within one year of the relevant rating decisions.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in both ears and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from substantially gainful employment, and the Board denied his claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient rationale in the VA opinion regarding the onset and relationship of these conditions to service. The issues are considered intertwined as a decision on one could impact the other.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to military noise exposure during her active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss began during service and continued after service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's hearing acuity showed Level I impairment bilaterally, which does not warrant a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to potential errors in pre-decisional duty to assist.

The Veteran's initial claim for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was received on September 30, 2022. The Board denied an initial compensable evaluation and denied a prior effective date due to lack of evidence of a formal or informal claim within one year of separation from active duty.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a skin disorder, and migraines. The claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM), peripheral neuropathy of right lower extremity (RLE), and peripheral neuropathy of left lower extremity (LLE) are REMANDED.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including asthma with obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder bursitis, tinnitus, left knee limitations, and right knee instability, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 17, 2018. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn them.