Hearing loss decisions — 2025

The Board remands the case for an addendum opinion to address inconsistencies in the May 2023 VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and its relation to active service.

The Board remands the issues of increased ratings for various disabilities due to procedural deficiencies and the need for updated VA treatment records and examinations.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and higher ratings for lumbar strain, right knee instability, right knee osteoarthritis, removal of cartilage of the right knee, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) to obtain additional evidence.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and a lumbar spine disability, while denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss, chronic gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and assigning a 20 percent rating for residuals of a neuroendocrine tumor of the stomach.

The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor based on his credible reports of in-service noise exposure.

The Board remands the service connection claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer, and conditions of the right shoulder, left hip, left knee, and left ankle due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in failing to obtain the Veteran's service records.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as it is not related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain additional evidence and a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the condition and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a left hamstring fascial defect status post-hamstring fasciotomy, and surgical scarring over the left hamstring. The Board also denied increased ratings for right and left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no competent evidence that any of these disabilities were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The veteran's appeal requests for service connection for hearing loss, TBI, PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and sleep apnea were dismissed as the appeals were not timely filed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as there was no evidence of a current disability to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes, and the persuasive evidence against the claims did not support that the conditions were related to active service.

The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); hypertension; and cerebrovascular accident residuals were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings to ensure that all relevant evidence is considered, including new VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, and remanded claims for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle condition and bilateral hearing loss due to acoustic trauma from noise exposure in service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and bilateral hearing loss due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board denied the claims for an increased rating for tinnitus and service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but remanded a claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than other trauma and stressor related disorder.

The Board granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence shows a current disability related to exposure to acoustic trauma during service.