Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for various conditions including a right knee disorder, right wrist disorder, right shoulder nerve disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The AOJ is required to provide notice concerning the appellant's right to a hearing under 38 C.F.R. �� 3.103(b)(1) and (d)(1).

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for substance abuse, bilateral hearing loss, memory loss, bilateral ankle condition, bilateral feet condition, pes planus, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship with service. The appeals were dismissed as untimely.

The Board has remanded the claims for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and right ear hearing loss due to a failure to provide proper notice regarding the right to a hearing before the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and lumbar spine disorder are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bronchitis, bilateral hearing loss, decreased ejaculation from vasectomy, and rectal bleeding were denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for tremors of the bilateral hands and bilateral restless leg syndrome. His claim for a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis was also denied.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left foot calcaneal plantar spur, right ankle ligament sprain, recurrent bilateral ear infections, chronic headaches, and erectile dysfunction (ED).,There is no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions. The appellant's STRs are silent for complaints or treatment related to these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new character of discharge determination under revised regulations. The issues on appeal include both the service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and sleep apnea as well as the characterization of the Appellant's discharge.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for her left knee and lumbar spine disabilities have been remanded. The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, residuals of status post left knee surgeries, and a left knee surgical scar as they were not shown to be related to active military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for chronic sinusitis and bilateral hearing loss was denied, while his claim for service connection for cervical spine disabilities was remanded. His claim for hypertension was dismissed as it had already been granted prior to the appeal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence supports a nexus between the current disability and in-service noise exposure. The decision is based on the Veteran's lay statements of symptoms during service and post-service audiometric findings.

Your appeals for increased compensation for hearing loss, service connection for prostate cancer, and service connection for pancreatic cancer have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The appeal will be closed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, and bilateral hearing loss have been denied.,Service connection has also been denied for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for allergic rhinitis, a compensable rating for respiratory insufficiency (bibsilar atelectasis), and an increased rating greater than 70 percent for the acquired psychiatric condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinion regarding in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development due to errors in pre-decisional duty to assist and for obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral vascular disease, bilateral hearing loss, type 2 diabetes mellitus, bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, right trench foot, stroke, and voiding dysfunction have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities or a nexus to service.,The Veteran's peripheral vascular disease was not shown as chronic in service and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology post-service. His bilateral hearing loss does not meet VA standards for disability, and his type 2 diabetes mellitus cannot be presumed due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have boots on the ground service in Vietnam.,The Veteran's claims were denied as there was no medical evidence of a nexus between any current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hearing loss is denied as his hearing thresholds did not meet the required levels for bilateral hearing loss during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.,The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted as it manifested within one year of separation from service and is not attributable to intercurrent causes. The appeal for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for PTSD. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to new evidence received after the August 2013 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinion.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and neuropathy in the upper extremities are related to his service-connected disabilities. The acquired psychiatric disorder is also found to be secondary to his service-connected conditions.,Affording the Veteran the benefit of doubt, his claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, neuropathy in the upper extremities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no current diagnosis or present disability.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was also denied due to lack of evidence showing the condition manifested within one year after separation from service and not related to service.