Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, and tinnitus. The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for entitlement to TDIU and denied his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back strain, bilateral knee disabilities, and bilateral ankle disabilities. The claims of service connection for these conditions are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits, finding that there was no factual ascertainability of unemployability within one year prior to April 30, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, thoracolumbar levoscoliosis with advanced multilevel DDD and facet arthropathy (low back disability), and cervical spine disability to include cervicalgia (neck disability) due to a lack of VA examination records and an incomplete review of service treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to untimely Notice of Disagreement submissions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider the claim on the merits.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is not found to be secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities. The right total knee arthroplasty and left knee conditions are rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no further increase warranted based on current evidence. Bilateral hearing loss does not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on the issues of right total knee arthroplasty, chondromalacia of the left knee and deformity of patella, bilateral hearing loss, and limited extension of the left knee have been dismissed as moot due to a separate Board decision adjudicating these claims.

The Veteran's initial claim for a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss has been granted, effective December 16, 2013. The current rating of 10 percent is maintained.

The appeal as to the proposed severance of service connection for sarcoidosis is dismissed. The Veteran's OSA and BHL are denied, but a compensable rating is granted for BHL.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current diagnoses are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service-connected tinnitus was denied as the evidence did not show entitlement prior to September 6, 2019.,Service connection for a neck disorder and bilateral hearing loss were both denied because there is no current disability found in the record.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but has remanded the issue of his hearing loss due to a lack of clear and unmistakable evidence regarding its pre-service status.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as the Veteran requested a withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to procedural errors in providing notice of the right to a hearing.

The Veteran's claim for a 60 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted, with an effective date of November 5, 2024.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hip, ankle, and knee disabilities are not service-connected as secondary to his service-connected pes planus. The hearing loss disability is also not service-connected as secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants were denied as they did not meet the criteria for assistance in acquiring such benefits due to lack of qualifying service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.