Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than August 31, 2012 for the grant of service connection for major depressive disorder is denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a right hand condition are both denied. Service connection for high blood pressure (hypertension) is also denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for his major depressive disorder is denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his condition did not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss but has remanded the issue of service connection for polyuria and urinary urgency due to conflicting opinions from VA examiners.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address whether the Veteran's vertigo is aggravated by his service-connected cardiac disorders and to obtain an addendum opinion regarding this matter.

The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was granted, but he is still seeking a compensable rating prior to February 13, 2023.,For the period since February 13, 2023, his bilateral hearing loss has been rated as Level I (non-compensable).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to unclear findings regarding his current hearing loss status and insufficient examination reports addressing service connection.

The Veteran's sleep apnea began during active service and is granted.,The Veteran has a current acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety, depression, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder related to his in-service stressor. A VA examination is needed to assess whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level II in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The Board denied the claim for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss but is unclear about the Veteran's right ear hearing loss. The case is remanded to obtain a VA examination and determine if the Veteran currently has right ear hearing loss that meets VA criteria.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure of the Veteran to appear for VA examinations. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and active service.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection and rating for chest pain, hearing loss, left shoulder pain, major depressive disorder, left ankle pain, left hip pain, left knee pain, right ankle pain, right hip pain, and a compensable rating for dry eye syndrome.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeals for left wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board has withdrawn these issues from consideration.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and unclear speech discrimination test results. The VA needs to obtain all relevant VA treatment records and clarify the private audiology records.

The Board has denied an increase in the disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and has remanded the issues of service connection for right arm, shoulder, and hand injuries due to insufficient examination reports.

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

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and reopening his claim of bilateral hearing loss were denied due to the Veteran failing to appear at scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The cases of bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder bursitis, and right shoulder bursitis are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus was granted in a June 2023 rating decision, thus the appeal is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no credible evidence linking the current disability to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete VA applications and requests for additional medical examinations.