Hearing loss decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding a nexus between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing he currently has a disability for VA purposes.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left and right knee disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, and a back disability due to the lack of evidence showing current diagnoses or functional impairment in earning capacity.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing that he has a current disability of right ear hearing loss that qualifies as a disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus manifested within one year of his separation from service and has been chronic since. The issue of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss was remanded for further development.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's left ear hearing loss based on the evidence of record.

The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding it at least as likely as not related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board granted an initial 70 percent rating for PTSD with TBI, a 20 percent rating effective July 13, 2023 for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and thoracic disc degeneration, and a separate 10 percent rating effective July 13, 2023 for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. The Board denied higher ratings for cervical spine conditions, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and other conditions including hearing loss, fractured finger, and deviated nasal septum, while remanding two issues for further consideration.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to noise exposure during the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board granted service connection for kidney cancer as secondary to the service-connected hypertension and granted a total rating based on individual employability due to service-connected disabilities from March 19, 2024. Other claims were denied.

The Board remands the matter for an audiological examination to evaluate the nature and likely etiology of the claimed bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the service-connected left forehead scar but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee osteoarthritis, and PTSD.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, a skin disability (claimed as skin rash), and sinusitis to afford the veteran another opportunity to attend VA examinations.

The Board denied a compensable rating for hearing loss but granted a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective February 29, 2016.

The appeal for readjudication of the claim of entitlement to service connection for vision loss has been withdrawn.,Readjudication of the claim for entitlement to service connection for asthma is granted, as new and relevant evidence has been received.,Readjudication of the claim for entitlement to service connection for hypertension is granted, as new and relevant evidence has been received.,Readjudication of the claim for entitlement to service connection for loss of taste (ageusia) and loss of smell (anosmia) is granted, as new and relevant evidence has been received.,The claim for entitlement to service connection for chloracne, to include as secondary to in-service herbicide exposure, is denied, as new and relevant evidence has not been received.,Entitlement to service connection for hypertension is granted pursuant to the PACT Act.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss effective February 9, 2025, but denied a compensable initial rating before that date.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of adequate notice for VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 28, 2022 for a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and left bicep tendon rupture disability.