Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for headaches, sleep apnea, and traumatic brain injury as well as individual unemployability due to a withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran's authorized representative.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus has been granted. The Veteran's claim for increased rating for insomnia disorder is dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for mental health condition, left lower extremity sciatic nerve pain, and right lower extremity sciatic nerve pain are being remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the other claims. The Veteran's hearing loss claim is denied as there was no evidence of a current disability during or after active service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw their appeal on the issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board has dismissed these issues as a result.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his hearing acuity has been consistently at Level I in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable (zero percent) rating.

The Veteran's conditions do not meet the criteria for eligibility for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation due to their service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), headaches, and hypothyroidism. The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions at the time his claims were filed.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate pre-decisional duty-to-assist omission of an adequate VA examination and opinion.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability has been manifested by hearing acuity of no worse than Level I in the right ear and no worse than Level VII in the left ear. As a result, the Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus due to the Veteran not currently suffering from this condition. The hearing loss claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its relationship to service.

The Veteran's left-knee scars and facial scars are granted with specific ratings. Bilateral hearing loss is denied, but service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was dismissed because the Notice of Disagreement was not filed within one year of notification of the October 2009 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, right knee joint osteoarthritis, left knee joint osteoarthritis, chest disability manifested by pain, left leg disability manifested by pain, right ankle disability manifested by pain, sleep apnea, and right ear hearing loss. The claim for left ear hearing loss is denied as the Veteran does not meet the regulatory threshold for a current hearing loss disability.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals regarding bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's disease, resulting in the dismissal of these cases.

The Board denied readjudicating the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was granted as it is at least as likely as not related to service. The claims for diabetes mellitus and hypertension were dismissed as there are no justiciable issues remaining.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, but have been granted as direct service connection based on their current existence.

The Board denied service connection for GERD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and active service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his service-connected bilateral hearing loss did not manifest in hearing impairment that would warrant a compensable rating under VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and basal cell carcinoma, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service exposure to noise and herbicides, respectively.