Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left ear hearing loss disabilities and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service or any in-service noise exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of onset during service or within one year post-separation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The AOJ is instructed to obtain a supplemental opinion addressing whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's hearing loss had its onset during active service or within one year thereafter, considering all relevant medical records and the Veteran's lay statements.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and has remanded his claims of service connection for right hip pain and replacement, left hip pain and replacement, and two back surgeries.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to her active service. However, the Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the presence of a disability during or recent to the pendency of the claim.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted.,The claim for compensation under 38 C.F.R. § 1151 for cerebrovascular accident is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and an eye condition due to insufficient evidence in their initial decisions. The AOJ must obtain updated VA medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, gastrointestinal condition (to include IBS), and mental health disorder have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal. The claims for headaches, gastrointestinal condition, and mental health disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his back disability and PTSD, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as new and relevant evidence has not been submitted to warrant readjudication.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 21, 2024 for TDIU is denied as there is no evidence showing an increase in his service-connected hearing loss and/or tinnitus resulting in unemployability between September 26, 2023 and February 21, 2024.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service head injuries. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with the most recent audiometric testing showing Level I hearing acuity in both ears.,The Veteran's tinnitus with insomnia has been assigned a 10 percent rating since November 18, 2024. The Board finds that additional evidence and an addendum medical opinion are needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed because the appeal was not filed within one year of the September 10, 2024 decision and no good cause was shown.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The appeal is remanded for further review of some issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss of the right ear, which may still be related to service despite no hearing loss at separation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a predecisional duty to assist error. The Board finds the VA examiner's opinion inadequate as it did not address the Veteran's lay statements and the evidence of record regarding his in-service noise exposure, ear issues, and post-service treatment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and prostate cancer. However, these disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 24, 2016 is denied. The earliest possible effective date is October 24, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and examinations.