Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current disability of left ear hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulation. The claims for left and right ankle disabilities, left and right knee disabilities, and cervical spine disability are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss and has remanded the issue of entitlement to a higher disability rating for left knee arthritis status post mechanical trauma with osteochondral defect of the medial femoral condyle.,VA previously rated the appellant's left knee condition as 10 percent disabling under DC 5261. The VA examination report was inadequate, failing to consider the appellant's lay statements regarding functional loss and not addressing the effects of medication.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has not been productive of compensable hearing loss throughout the period on appeal, and therefore his claim for a compensable rating is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to missed VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate reasons and bases in previous decisions, specifically regarding his bilateral hearing loss disability. The Court also found that a claim for a presumptive heart disability was reasonably raised but requires further examination of whether it is caused by intercurrent causes such as tobacco smoking.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss prior to September 14, 2021 has been rated as noncompensable. The Board found that the evidence did not show a worsening of his hearing since the May 2017 VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for central sleep apnea and remanded the issues of initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and left ear hearing loss disability due to a lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.,Service connection was not granted as there is no current diagnosis of a left ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is granted, and the left knee and right knee disabilities are denied. The Veteran's sinusitis is granted with a specific effective date.

The Board has identified several duty-to-assist errors and is remanding the claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records, lack of proper notification, and inadequate examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood that his current condition is related to noise exposure during active service. The decision resolves all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were granted with effective dates of June 22, 2020.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and therefore cannot establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically whether it is related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, hypertension, and high cholesterol as there is no current disability found in the evidence.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted, with some issues being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, both of which are related to the Veteran's active-duty service due to noise exposure.