Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and military service.

The Veteran's lung and eye conditions are being reopened due to new evidence. The cases of facial scars and hearing loss with tinnitus remain on appeal.,Further medical examinations are needed for the lungs, eyes, and hearing loss/tinnitus issues.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions: a higher rating for CAD prior to May 16, 2023; a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to March 30, 2023; and a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss since March 30, 2023. The Board requested additional development of the Veteran's medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, based on combat stressors during active duty.,Bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. A continuity of symptomatology is not established, and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for tinnitus was withdrawn during his hearing. The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and denied service connection for right knee, left knee, kidney cancer residuals, varicose veins, neck disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims due to new evidence being added since the last decision, and the appellant is proceeding pro se.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic headache (migraine) due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions. The Board found that there was no current disability, as defined by VA regulations, for either condition. For the headaches, the Board determined that they were not related to active duty exposure or a known clinical diagnosis.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, as well as a higher rating for PTSD. The Veteran's malaria was found to not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for residuals of a black widow spider bite, skin disability, and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The Board found no current diagnoses for the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and determinations regarding his bilateral hearing loss, back disability, left ankle disability, and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left shoulder disability, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeals for hearing loss and skin condition (claimed as jungle rot) were dismissed due to his withdrawal of these claims.,Service connection was granted for cervical-spine disorder with associated left-upper-extremity radiculopathy, lumbar-spine disorder with associated right and left-lower-extremity radiculopathy, and right-knee disorder, all secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus and hallux valgus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period from December 1, 2018, to June 30, 2022, is being remanded due to new evidence submitted in August 2020. The case will be referred to VA's Director of Compensation Services for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PPD to include residuals, and liver disability as secondary to PPD have all been denied. The Board found no current disabilities meeting the criteria for service connection in each case.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss was dismissed as he withdrew the claim during a Board hearing.

The Board granted service connection for post-traumatic inflammatory nodule on dorsum of left hand, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and scar to left hand with specific disability ratings. The past-due benefits awarded in the June 2019 rating decision are not paid due to a statutory impediment.