Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, kidney disease/renal failure with hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision is effective from January 27, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of current disability during or prior to the appeal period.

The Board dismissed all claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. However, the claims are remanded for a VA etiology opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed bilateral hearing loss, including whether it is related to military noise exposure or secondary to service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and right knee disability for additional development, including obtaining audiometry test results and conducting medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and examination, as the current evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's heart disorder, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is granted. For the entire period on appeal, entitlement to an initial disability rating of 100 percent for PTSD is granted. Beginning June 29, 2016, entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate is granted. The issues of service connection for joint pain, neurological symptoms, and left knee strain are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, adenocarcinoma of the cecum (claimed as colon cancer), tinnitus, gastric ulcer, cold injury residuals, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, a chronic respiratory disorder, and bilateral hearing loss are all granted. The Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD during service and the evidence supports that it is related to in-service stressors. Service connection is also granted for his acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. However, service connection cannot be established without a VA examination or supporting medical evidence for his chronic respiratory disorder and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 40 percent rating from May 26, 2011 to February 26, 2012. The effective date is based on the earliest medical evidence showing an increase in disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss due to inadequate explanations in previous examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate rationale in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus caused or aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, including for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, neuropathy of the right upper extremity, and neuropathy of the left upper extremity.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent, which corresponds to the level of impairment caused by his symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal for the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in a May 2020 written statement.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left ear hearing loss and otitis media, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss. The claim will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a head injury, sinusitis, right hand injury (claimed as arthritis and stiffness), and bilateral hearing loss due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran will be provided with VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss disability in the left ear, finding that the Veteran incurred this condition during his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current condition is related to his military service. The previous denial of service connection was overturned due to new evidence provided by a private audiologist.