Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate rationale in the previous VA opinions, lack of consideration of all relevant evidence, and need for a new examination.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the reduction of his bilateral hearing loss disability rating from 30 percent to 10 percent. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide an adequate VA examination, and additional evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, PTSD, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the severity of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a rating in excess of 10 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease (DJD). The Veteran did not have current diagnoses of these conditions, and his claim was based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's initial claim for a rating of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss is granted, effective from September 2018. The evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, and left ear hearing loss, prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation. As his combined rating is at least 70 percent due to these conditions, he has been granted total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss need further development due to incomplete or inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because no informal or formal claim was filed prior to January 23, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The appeal is not about a service connection issue, but rather the continuation of an existing claim after the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as they are now moot.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a rating in excess of 10 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease (DJD) have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for these conditions based on the current evidence of record.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for OSA, PTSD, and major depressive disorder as secondary to his service-connected conditions. The claim for service connection for BHL was denied due to insufficient evidence of hearing loss meeting VA disability compensation criteria.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as to a reduction in rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss because the AOJ has not yet issued a final rating action.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding initial compensable disability ratings for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence submitted since the April 2010 decision is not relevant to the issues.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective March 15, 2021. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise that his major depressive disorder has precluded substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss has been readjudicated due to new evidence submitted after the July 2020 denial.,Service connection for a cervical spine disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no current diagnosis related to service.,Service connection for LLE numbness is denied because there is no current diagnosis of numbness at any time during the appeal period.,Service connection for RLE numbness is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis of numbness at any time during the appeal period.,Service connection for LUE numbness is denied as there is no current diagnosis of numbness at any time during the appeal period.,Service connection for RUE numbness is denied because there is no current diagnosis of numbness at any time during the appeal period.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure are remanded for further development.