Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeals for diabetes mellitus and heart condition. The remaining issues of hearing loss, left foot numbness, right foot numbness, and hypertension have been remanded due to new evidence and need further examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for consideration of new VA evidence and readjudication.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence, particularly regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and its relation to his service-connected TBI.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted an 80% rating from January 18, 1988 to January 24, 2005. Additionally, the Veteran was granted a TDIU prior to January 24, 2005.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, neck cancer, and throat cancer due to potential in-service exposure and other factors. The claims will be reconsidered after additional evidence is obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury or event, as his pre-existing conductive hearing loss was clearly and unmistakably not aggravated by service. The sensorineural component of his hearing loss developed after separation from service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of the Veteran's hearing loss to service. The Veteran testified that his hearing loss started during basic training from a bee sting, but there is no direct evidence linking it to in-service noise exposure or any other service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic left ear infections with scar tissue and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's conditions developed during service and are related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus, claimed as residuals of a concussion, is granted. The right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was granted a 40 percent rating from July 1, 2015 to July 23, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a new VA examination.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for PTSD. The claim for service connection of squamous cell carcinoma was remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating prior to April 25, 2022, and for a rating over 20 percent from that date for service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been denied.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of bilateral lower extremities (secondary to lumbar spine disability), sleep apnea (to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD), and kidney disability (to include as secondary to service-connected hypothyroidism) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss disability is rated as noncompensable due to the current level of hearing acuity not meeting criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as the current noncompensable evaluation is reflected by the rating evidence of record and there is no indication that the findings were inadequate.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was granted a 10 percent rating prior to November 7, 2019, and a 70 percent rating since then.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for lumbosacral strain with DDD, and TDIU are all remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied because he failed to report for a scheduled VA examination without showing good cause.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension have been denied. The claim for depression was reopened.,Service connection has been granted for ischemic heart disease as due to exposure to herbicides.