Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated at 0 percent since May 20, 2013. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to the level of impairment in his hearing.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection on all listed conditions prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has remanded the cases due to procedural issues and requests for a Statement of the Case.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to receipt of additional VA medical evidence. The AOJ is instructed to consider this new evidence and provide notice with an opportunity to respond.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, right knee and left knee disabilities, right thumb/hand disorders, right elbow and ankle disabilities, left hip strain, neck disability, and left shoulder disability due to additional development being required.

Graves' Disease, Hyperthyroidism, and Thyroid Disorder are denied as not related to service.,Left Ear Hearing Loss is denied due to lack of in-service diagnosis or relationship to service.,Allergic Rhinitis (Sinusitis) requires further examination for a determination on its relation to service.,Right Ankle Deltoid Ligament Sprain and Lateral Collateral Ligament Sprain are remanded as the etiology is unclear.,Left Ankle Deltoid Ligament Sprain and Lateral Collateral Ligament Sprain are also remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's initial service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was assigned a noncompensable rating in January 2019. The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his disability warranted a rating in excess of those assigned.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including asbestosis, asthma, COPD, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy, and bilateral hearing loss, have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation since March 2005. The Board has granted an extraschedular TDIU for the period from March 22, 2005 to April 22, 2019.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The case is now pending for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient rationale in the VA examination report, lack of consideration of lay statements, and need for a new examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, left arm neuropathy, tinnitus, and PTSD are being remanded due to the need for additional clarification on stressor events and verification of claimed incidents.,Service connection for PTSD is also being remanded as there were no attempts to verify the claimed stressors.

The Veteran's PTSD was restored from a 50% to a 70% disability rating, effective September 7, 2010. The TDIU claim for service-connected disabilities is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The Board found that there is no current disability of tinnitus, and the Veteran's hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was granted. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, as well as the claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and TDIU, are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of compliance with prior remand directives, specifically regarding notification and scheduling of VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, sleep disorder, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or service connection.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran did not present valid claims for any of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is service-connected, as it had its onset during his active service and there is no clear evidence of pre-service existence. The appeal for service connection is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to his in-service noise exposure and that any hearing loss he experienced during service resolved within nine years.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's current TBI residuals and bilateral hearing loss are related to his service, specifically his in-service head injury.