Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and is granted.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for migraine headaches, arthritis of the shoulders, knees, hips, and back have all been denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure and right ear infections, as well as her secondary service connection claim for hearing loss related to her service-connected right ear otitis media. The case is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as incurred in service. The cases for pruritus, athlete's foot, PFB, right knee disability, left knee disability (secondary to right knee), watery eyes, and allergic rhinitis/sinusitis are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions considering toxic exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for right ankle disability, left ankle disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. The Board found no current disabilities for the right or left ankles, hearing loss, or tinnitus, and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between any of these conditions and service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not rated compensably under the schedular criteria, and the Board has referred the matter to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional audiometric evaluations and consideration of his reported worsening hearing acuity.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and right sartorius muscle tear were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for either condition.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, but has remanded the issue of right ear hearing loss due to conflicting evidence regarding its pre-service status.,Service connection is granted for left ear hearing loss, while the validity of in-service noise exposure and its impact on right ear hearing loss remains under review.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence is approximately balanced in favor of a causal link to in-service hazardous noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that both conditions began in service and have continued since separation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and his claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and hearing loss are being remanded due to the lack of a VA examination assessing whether these conditions were incurred in or related to his military service, including exposure to burn pit particulate matter.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 10 percent, and a higher rating of in excess of 10 percent is denied.

The Veteran's TBI is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error where the VA examiner did not address whether his bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, unspecified neurocognitive disorder, cold intolerance and fatigue due to hyperthyroidism, Grave's disease, transient memory loss, nocturnal leg cramps, right upper extremity tingling and numbness, dizziness are related to his TBI. A retrospective opinion is needed.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation at the housebound rate prior to July 19, 2021 was denied as he did not have a single service-connected disability rated at 100% or a TDIU due solely to a single disability and additional service-connected disability ratable at 60%, separate and distinct from the 100% service-connected disability.

The Board has found that the VA opinion regarding the cause of death is inadequate and requires further examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective January 28, 2021, based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment.

The Veteran's low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, left hand disability (claimed as pain), and right wrist disability are all granted service connection. However, the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and left hand disability (claimed as pain) were denied due to lack of a current disability.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to reconsider the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims are being remanded due to an error in the previous VA opinion.

The Veteran's facial scars are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Left ear hearing loss is not compensable, with the nonservice-connected right ear considered to be Level I.