Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's hearing loss prior to November 11, 2015 was rated at 20 percent. Since then, the rating has been maintained at 20 percent.

The Board has decided that a more contemporaneous examination is needed to determine the nature and likely etiology of any diagnosed bilateral hearing loss, which was not previously evaluated.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations, treatment records, and verification of his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and etiology of his peripheral neuropathy and bilateral hearing loss. The claims will be reviewed on a de novo basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,The Board has remanded the issues regarding sleep disturbance, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, left hand disability, right hand disability, shin splints of the right leg, and shin splints of the left leg to allow for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that it originated during active service due to noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and TDIU are remanded due to new evidence received since the final June 2011 rating decision. The Veteran is requested to provide his Social Security Administration (SSA) records, including all administrative decisions on his application for SSA disability benefits and underlying medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, but denied left ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence meeting VA's definition of a disability. The claim for hypertension is remanded as the VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion.,Service connection for hypertension will be remanded to determine if any service-connected disabilities caused or substantially contributed to the Veteran's obesity and subsequent hypertension.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision denying service connection for hearing loss was not based on a complete review of the evidence, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as damage to right eardrum causing hearing loss and tinnitus with entitlement to compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151, were denied because the submitted evidence was not new and relevant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted. The appeal for service connection for bladder cancer is dismissed as the Veteran has already been granted service connection with an effective date of September 24, 2019.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which may affect the determination of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected, with the exception that no rating or effective date is assigned.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility are denied as the evidence does not show that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 27, 2011.,The Board found no entitlement to TDIU prior to May 27, 2011, due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his ability to engage in activities such as painting and working on cars.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, with an average pure tone threshold of 31.25 and speech recognition scores at 94 percent in the left ear.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the duty to assist and remands the claims for further development. The Veteran's hearing loss, right arm disability (loss of range of motion), burn scars on various parts of his body, and service connection issues have been remanded.

The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and relevant evidence supports this decision. The Board concludes that the appellant's current hearing loss disability is more likely than not related to his in-service noise exposure on the flight line of an aircraft carrier.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss under the AMA system, which included a TDIU claim. The Board dismissed both the AMA and Legacy TDIU claims as part of the withdrawal.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, leading to a grant of service connection for both conditions.