Hearing loss decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service. The evidence supports a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate evidence and duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is clear and convincing evidence that he does not have the disability. The claim for PTSD is granted based on credible lay testimony of in-service combat exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and the appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal of service connection for hearing loss in the right ear has been dismissed due to her withdrawal.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for Meniere's syndrome with hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA examination records and treatment records from non-VA providers.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to continuity of symptoms since service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there is no evidence of a current disability within one year of separation from service and the VA examiner found no etiological link between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.,The Veteran's frostbite of the bilateral feet is denied as there is no current diagnosis of cold injuries, only peripheral artery disease and lower extremity neuropathy.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection, while his obesity was denied. Other conditions related to the ankles, hands, and knees were also denied.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss have been granted service connection, with a 70 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, with a numeric designation of Level I in both ears. The Board found the evidence insufficient to warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial compensable ratings for his service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board found that there were no reliable test results to support a higher rating for the bilateral hearing loss disability, and the Veteran's migraine headaches did not meet the criteria for a 30 percent rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right ear hearing loss disabilities due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to procedural issues with the August 6, 2020 VA Form 9. The case of timeliness of the August 6, 2020 VA Form 9 was denied as untimely.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability have been granted service connection.,An earlier effective date prior to July 10, 2019, for the grant of service connection for tinnitus has been denied. The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding an increased rating for tinnitus at his Board hearing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral eye disability, a left knee disability, and a right wrist disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal of these issues prior to the promulgation of a decision.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, a left shoulder disability, and a right knee disability are being remanded as there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA examinations.

The Veteran is seeking a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, but the VA has not obtained all of the audiometry results from an October 2016 evaluation. The Board finds this to be a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remands the case.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and TDIU due to procedural errors in the duty to assist.

The Board has remanded the service connection claim for erectile dysfunction. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and other disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU from August 2018 to March 25, 2024, but his combined disability rating of 100% since then satisfies the requirement for SMC.