Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, seborrheic keratoses and neoplasm of uncertain behavior (claimed as skin cancer), diabetes mellitus type II, neuropathy of upper and lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining service personnel records, treatment records, and private treatment records. The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an inadequate examination in the prior decision. The Veteran's lay contentions regarding noise exposure during service will be considered.

The Veteran's rating for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine was restored to 20 percent effective October 31, 2024. Other claims were denied or granted with specific ratings.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing disability is not related to his military service.,The Board also denied service connection for tinnitus, concluding that it is less likely than not caused by or related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cerebrovascular accident/CVA, and congestive heart failure as they have already been addressed in a previous decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a chipped front tooth as there is no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as his income is below the poverty threshold.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable (0%) and denied an increased rating. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current disability level.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and vertigo are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death, and no service connection decisions were made.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since January 2000. The Board found that the current rating criteria do not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted readjudication of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new and relevant evidence. The claim for tinnitus is granted, but the claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its onset in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for VA purposes related to bilateral hearing loss, right great toe injury, or chronic sinusitis. The claims are therefore denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. For the right great toe and chronic sinusitis issues, a remand is necessary due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no nexus between the conditions and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is not rated as compensable, with the Board finding that it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the right distal biceps tear condition, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral foot condition have been dismissed due to a withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal for eligibility to the direct payment of fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a September 2023 Rating Decision was dismissed as the appellant withdrew his appeal.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to reconsider the previously denied claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The case is being remanded for further review.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension have been granted service connection, with a 20 percent rating for the hearing loss. Service connection has also been granted for hypertension. However, diabetes mellitus was not found to be present during the appeal period.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the claims for bilateral hearing loss and low back disability are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.