Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The remaining claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinus disorder, basal cell carcinoma of the back, diabetes mellitus type II, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the hypertension claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to his service-connected PTSD and alcohol use disorder is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current diabetes was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and alcohol use disorder, meeting the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new opinion on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that it is related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure during military training.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to August 26, 2019 was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during service and granted service connection.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to unresolved issues regarding service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period.

The Board has decided that the claim for bilateral hearing loss, including as secondary to service-connected tinnitus, should be remanded due to inadequate consideration of the Veteran's statements and examination findings.

The Veteran's appeal is about determining the appropriate disability rating for his hearing loss and the effective date of the increased rating. The Board has ordered additional VA treatment records to be obtained, as some prior records are missing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hearing loss and his service. The VA contracted examiner's opinion is deemed inadequate, as it did not consider the Veteran's reports of declining hearing acuity since service and treatment from 1976 onwards.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance with respect to these conditions. The Veteran's current symptoms are believed to be related to his military noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal of the compensation rating for his bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence received. However, both conditions are denied as there is no credible link between current symptoms and military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected. The TDIU claim is denied due to lack of factual ascertainability of unemployability in the year prior to the initial TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disability, arthritis, bilateral eye condition, headaches, acquired psychiatric disorder, and tremors are denied. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, vertigo, headaches, and erectile dysfunction (due to herbicide agent exposure) based on the Veteran's credible statements regarding his in-service noise exposure and symptoms.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 60 percent, the highest schedular rating available.,The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent and cannot be rated higher.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, type II diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, and esophageal cancer are all granted. However, the claim for type II diabetes mellitus is remanded due to a pre-decisional error in duty to assist.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the audiometric test results provided.