Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his lumbar spine spondylosis and left knee degenerative joint disease.,The Veteran's appeal is also remanded for further development regarding his right knee degenerative joint disease.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic disease during or within one year after service. The Board also found that any current hearing loss and tinnitus are more likely related to post-service occupational noise exposure than military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral elbow disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a neck injury have been granted. The claim for sleep apnea has been withdrawn.

The Board has found the March 2021 VA examination inadequate for adjudication purposes due to interference with testing results. The claim is being remanded for a new examination to determine if any diagnosed bilateral hearing loss had onset in service or is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning and lack of consideration of relevant evidence in a previous VA opinion. The Veteran's hearing loss is being reviewed again for proper service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is remanded for further examination to determine the current severity of his condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, but the VA examination provided by the AOJ did not adequately address this issue. The Board is therefore remanding these issues for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to a failure by the AOJ to obtain his complete service personnel records and service treatment records, which were received prior to the issuance of the decision on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his service-connected ischemic heart disease and posttraumatic stress disorder. The Veteran was awarded a total disability rating at the time of his death.

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

The Board has denied service connection for a left thumb disability and bilateral hearing loss due to the lack of current evidence showing these conditions.,For lumbar spine disability and lumbar radiculopathy, the claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical records to determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted, but his claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not support a disability rating in excess of 80 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current hearing loss disability had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service. The claim will be returned for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, right ankle condition, right shoulder condition, left knee condition, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and migraines due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and a higher rating for PTSD are both denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one must be conducted to assess the current severity of the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one must be conducted to assess the current severity of the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an error in failing to provide notice of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to January 1, 2021, on an extraschedular basis. The decision also denied entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation based on housebound criteria prior to January 1, 2021.