Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of hearing loss due to inadequate examination and missing personnel records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis, degenerative arthritis of lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints with lumbar spondylosis, and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete development of the record. The issues have been returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss of the right ear, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by service and is unrelated to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that he was not precluded from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequacies in the VA examinations and the need for further development regarding the validity of the separation examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and lumbar spine disability have been granted. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claims and established that these conditions were incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided were inadequate to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptomatology in service and post-service. Additionally, a new opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to active service. Finally, an opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's headaches are caused or aggravated by his tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right elbow condition, bilateral hearing loss, right ankle condition, and left ankle condition. The decision also noted that his claim for a compensable rating for his right elbow scar was denied.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted, and he is awarded a 50 percent disability rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder) are granted as service-connected.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss disability, right ankle disability, and dental disability. The Veteran's claims were based on exposure to loud noise during active service.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating prior to August 16, 2022 for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for left shoulder disability, cervical strain, and neurological disability (including TBI and/or non-combat related concussion) have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent from May 31, 2022. The Board denied an increased rating for the entire appeal period as the audiometric test results did not demonstrate that the Veteran's hearing more closely approximated levels required for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and OSA due to new evidence developed since the last SSOC.

The appeal for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus is dismissed as the Veteran has already been awarded this benefit. The appeals for initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The reduction in the disability rating for bilateral hearing loss from 10 percent to a noncompensable (0-percent) rating was improper, and the 10-percent rating is restored as of April 1, 2018.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea due to new and material evidence. The claims for other conditions are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran does not have current disabilities as required by VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the medical evidence does not support a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ due to insufficient nexus opinions in previous VA examinations.