Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the Veteran not reporting for a VA examination scheduled in December 2018. The case will be returned for further action.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Veteran's claims for residuals of a nose injury, bronchitis, hearing loss, and headaches have been denied. The claim for chest pain is remanded, as are the claims for left eye disability and kidney cancer.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss, right knee condition prior to July 23, 2015, and left knee condition prior to July 23, 2015 were all denied. The Veteran's right knee condition after July 23, 2015 and left knee condition after July 23, 2015 were also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to her in-service hazardous noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,The Veteran's right inguinal hernia rating was reinstated to 30 percent effective February 1, 2019. The Board found that the reduction from 30 percent to 10 percent in November 2018 was improper and restored the original 30 percent rating.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was granted.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including chronic gout, hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as depression), diabetes mellitus, migraine headaches, a sleep disorder with insomnia, tinnitus, and a back disability. The reasons include the need to verify the appellant's claimed service, particularly whether he served in line of duty during any periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is consistent with his in-service noise exposure and resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to a request for consideration of a recent military hearing loss study and an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran now meets the criteria for a current bilateral hearing loss disability related to in-service noise exposure. The Veteran should be provided with a new VA examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated as noncompensable, and the Board has remanded for further analysis of his peripheral vestibular disorder. The appeal regarding service connection for hearing loss remains unresolved.

The Veteran's tinnitus and acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder with secondary alcohol use disorder, are granted. Bilateral hearing loss and a back disability remain pending as they were remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. The case is remanded to obtain updated VA examination records for left ear hearing loss.

The petition to reopen service connection for a left ankle condition is denied.,Service connection for a heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension are all denied. The Veteran's claim for erectile dysfunction (claimed as secondary to hypertension) and headaches are remanded.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for tinnitus, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss was granted. Service connection for tinnitus is established based on the benefit of doubt, while service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss are denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence meeting the criteria for a current disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, and because there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, and the case is remanded for a new VA examination to assess his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively associated with herbicide exposure under the PACT Act. His bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to unclear evidence of current disability and potential service connection.