Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss claims have been denied. The back condition and PTSD claims are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's death was not caused by or related to a service-connected condition, and he did not meet the criteria for nonservice-connected burial benefits. The claim is denied.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral pes planus have been dismissed due to their death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's right total knee replacement scarring is not compensable, as the evidence does not show it causes significant functional impairment.,Tarsal tunnel syndrome of the right foot warrants a 20 percent rating due to severe incomplete paralysis. The current 20 percent rating remains unchanged.,Bilateral hearing loss results in a noncompensable rating based on the Maryland CNC speech recognition scores and pure tone thresholds.,Right knee total replacement requires a higher rating, as the Veteran's condition does not meet the criteria for a 30 percent or higher rating under current diagnostic codes.,Left knee arthritis and ankylosis also require a higher rating due to the severity of the condition.,Retropatellar pain syndrome in the left knee warrants a compensable rating, as it is currently rated at zero percent.,Right leg osteochondroma requires a compensable rating based on its current noncompensable status.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his bilateral hearing loss claim requires further examination and evidence as the current medical records do not clearly establish a pre-service or in-service hearing disability.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and left knee disability are found to be related to service, warranting their grant of service connection.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. However, there is no evidence that he has a current disability of hearing loss for VA compensation purposes.

The Board has remanded multiple cases related to increased ratings and effective dates for various conditions, including a right foot heel fracture, an acquired psychiatric disorder, dermatitis with scarring, degenerative arthritis of the knees, tinnitus, distal phalanx fractures, scars from the knee and thumb, and bilateral hearing loss. The appeals also include requests for earlier effective dates for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the audiometry results.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The claims for left foot disability, right foot disability, back disability, and COPD are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence meeting all elements of direct service connection.

The Board has determined that there is new and relevant evidence for the claims of service connection for tinnitus, asthma on a facts-found basis, left shoulder condition, and bilateral hearing loss. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, disability rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II, and a compensable rating for interstitial lung disease with pleural plaques due to missing VA examinations. The Veteran must be provided with VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as he does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and depressive disorder have been granted service connection.,Service connection for PTSD has been denied, as the evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-5 criteria. The Veteran's current symptoms do not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance regarding their relationship to military noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for right knee pain and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran does not have current diagnoses of these conditions, and the evidence did not support granting either claim.

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

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied by the Board. The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's hearing impairment did not warrant an evaluation higher than 10 percent, as it fell within Level II and Level IV on the audiometric scale.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss did not have its onset in service or is not related to service.