Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and MDD, but the claims for hearing loss and sleep apnea are remanded.

The Veteran's back disorder, claimed as painful motion of the low back, is granted subject to laws and regulations governing monetary awards. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and syncope are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining SSA records, scheduling a VA hearing loss examination, verifying reported stressors, and scheduling a psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left elbow disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, dizziness, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability are all being remanded due to the need for additional development.,No current diagnoses were found for any of the claimed conditions. The Veteran's reported symptoms during service did not result in treatment or diagnosis.

The appeal for service connection for residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), other than migraine headaches is dismissed. Service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the left shoulder disability and cold injuries to bilateral lower extremities are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives and insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient opinions from previous examiners and requests for a new opinion on whether bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus had their onset in or are otherwise etiologically related to active service.

The Veteran was awarded service connection for tinnitus at 10 percent disabling and bilateral hearing loss at noncompensable. His combined rating is now 10 percent, qualifying him for VA health benefits.

The Veteran's initial hearing loss disability rating was denied, and the Board found that further development is needed to determine if a higher rating should be assigned. The appeal is remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings on PTSD, right ankle disabilities, and a right ankle scar are remanded. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is also remanded. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

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

The Board has previously decided the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and dismissed it due to finality.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is not properly before it due to a prior grant of service connection for PTSD. The Board finds the previous VA examiner's opinion inadequate and remands the case for a new examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy were granted effective September 7, 2018. The claim for type two diabetes mellitus (DM-II) was denied. The Veteran's hearing loss is rated non-compensable, while his tinnitus is assigned the maximum schedular rating.,The Veteran's hypertension has been granted service connection under The PACT Act effective August 10, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) was denied as there is no evidence of unemployability due to service-connected conditions within the year preceding his TDIU claim. The Board found that the Veteran had worked in various labor jobs and did not meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing medical records that are relevant to the issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's audiogram results from June and October 2017 need to be obtained.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to his withdrawal of these appeals prior to a decision being made. The Veteran was granted a 100% rating for PTSD from November 21, 2017.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his hearing loss did not manifest within one year of discharge and was more likely due to occupational noise exposure.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including left hand and wrist condition, diverticulosis, bilateral hearing loss, lower back condition, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and right hip condition. The remand requests additional medical opinions on these issues.