Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has reopened the claims for right shoulder, left shoulder, kidney disability (secondary to herbicide exposure), low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension. However, service connection was not granted for any of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability is due to acoustic trauma sustained during his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus for further development due to incomplete examination records.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression, is granted.,Service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are both established. The Veteran also has service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.,Right shoulder disability, right heel spur, and right knee condition (secondary) have been granted.,Service connection for a right knee condition remains pending as it was remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear and left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no current diagnosis of hearing loss disability in either ear and that any noise exposure during service did not result in a hearing loss condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, right ear hearing loss disability, and vertigo have been denied due to lack of current diagnoses.,Service connection has also been denied for hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral upper extremity and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and a cardiovascular disorder (including CAD).,The Veteran's claim for entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) has also been denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA audiological examination to evaluate the nature and likely etiology of the claimed bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, shortness of breath, headaches, and shoulder, neck, lumbar spine, and leg disabilities, should be remanded due to lack of reliable audiometric testing results and need for further examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety), right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, back disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The case is remanded for additional development regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for acquired psychiatric disability and hypertension, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI).,Regarding bilateral hearing loss, the Board finds a remand necessary due to conflicting opinions on its etiology.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran needs VA examinations to assess his current disability levels and determine if he is unemployable due to his conditions.

The Board denied an initial compensable disability evaluation for service-connected left-ear hearing loss, finding the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board found that it does not warrant a higher rating as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss existed prior to service and if it was aggravated by service. The case will be sent back for further examination.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and evaluations for various disabilities. The Veteran's claim for type II diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure was denied as there is no evidence of its onset in service or within one year thereafter. Other disability claims are also pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus his claim for TDIU was denied.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 22, 2021 is denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to this date remains before the Board and has been REMANDED.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure and granting him a grant of benefits.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be at Level I in both ears, resulting in a zero percent evaluation.,For PTSD, the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent as they were considered to cause reduced reliability and productivity but not total occupational and social impairment.