Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for left ear and right ear hearing loss disabilities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue, left hip pain, right hip pain, left knee pain, and right knee pain. The Veteran's attempt to appeal the rating decisions was dismissed due to untimely filing.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals regarding increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including right hip pain, scar from surgery, migraines, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically failing to ensure that VA adequately assisted the Veteran to obtain and associate an April 2016 audiology report with his claims file. The Veteran's outstanding VA audiogram results must be associated with his claims file.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during his period of active service, while his current bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.

The Veteran's tinnitus, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left lower extremity disorder, right lower extremity disorder, right knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are all granted as service connected. The effective date for the grant of service connection is November 19, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria.,Service connection for chronic laryngitis is granted due to in-service exposure and ongoing symptoms. Service connection for chronic sinusitis and chronic pharyngitis are denied.

The Board dismissed the claim of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus. The appeal was also denied for an initial compensable rating and an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss disability, with the effective date set at June 14, 2023.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus, hearing loss, and PTSD due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran is currently incarcerated and had good cause not to appear at his scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a rating of 70 percent, but no higher. The other conditions are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with no evidence of a compensable rating based on the current severity.,Service connection for GERD and IBS has been denied due to lack of current diagnoses or symptoms related to these conditions during service or within one year post-service.,The Veteran's TBI claim is also denied as there are no current diagnoses or symptoms related to this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of adequate VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss. The Veteran is asked to undergo an addendum VA examination to determine if his hearing loss had its onset in service or is related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) due to a procedural error in providing notice regarding the Veteran's right to a pre-decisional hearing.

The Board has remanded most of the Veteran's claims due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain additional medical records before readjudicating these cases.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure is at least as likely as not related to his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are causally related to the Veteran's military service, specifically his exposure to hazardous noise.

The Veteran's appeal regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed as the Veteran requested withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's service connection for brain cancer as of August 14, 2018 is granted due to a link between his in-service toxic exposure and his diagnosed condition. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure.