Hearing loss decisions — 2024

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and radiculopathy of the lower extremities due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities as required by VA regulations.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for right knee scars and left shoulder disability, denied entitlement to higher ratings for right knee disabilities including instability and dislocated semilunar cartilage, denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and did not grant service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, melanoma, and right foot scar are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The RO must obtain the Veteran's medical records from Cleveland Clinic and provide him with an adequate VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The examiner is asked to consider the impact, if any, of the July 1981 separation report of medical examination reflecting mild high frequency right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence of a claim prior to December 29, 2020.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss, left knee disability, and right knee disability are all granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a low back condition is denied due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a failure to file a timely Notice of Disagreement within one year of the April 2018 rating decision.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable (0 percent) since February 23, 2011. The Board found that the current level of hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been remanded due to the need for a VA examination to convert audiometric data from ASA to ISO/ANSI units, address the threshold shift in service, and consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service, nor a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied entitlement to a disability rating greater than 30 percent for acquired psychiatric disability. The Veteran's current symptoms do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent, left knee strain (claimed as right knee pain) is remanded for further review, and tinnitus is rated at 10 percent. The service connection for left ear hearing loss has been denied.

The appeal to restore a 20 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The appeals for service connection of migraines and BPPV are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity that they prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error related to the adequacy of the September 2021 VA opinion.

The Veteran's appeal of the issues regarding bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus has been dismissed due to the withdrawal by the Veteran's representative.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need to obtain VA treatment records from March 24, 2022.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider the evidence of record at the time of the June 2022 decision on appeal. The Veteran's hearing loss is currently diagnosed, but there are concerns about its relation to service-connected tinnitus.