Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus secondary to bilateral hearing loss, neck disability, right shoulder disability, and right arm numbness due to the pre-existing neck and right shoulder disabilities. The decision is based on evidence showing a current disability in each condition and a link between service and these conditions.

The appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for COPD is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, PTSD, seizure disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Board has determined that these issues are remanded due to ambiguities in the character of discharge determination and insufficient medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating prior to February 23, 2017, in excess of 50 percent from February 23, 2017, to March 23, 2022, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for bilateral hearing loss are denied. Service connection for a bilateral eye disorder is also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's preexisting hearing loss was aggravated during service. The claim seeking an increased rating for lumbar spine disability is being remanded.

The reduction in the rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss from 60 percent to noncompensable was proper as evidenced by improvement under ordinary conditions of life. The restoration of the 60 percent rating is denied.

The Veteran's vertigo, back disability, and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded for further examination and evaluation. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA treatment records and a need for further examination. The Veteran's appeal on higher initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to TDIU remains active.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with its previous remand directives regarding an addendum opinion on the etiology and impact of the Veteran's in-service acoustic trauma on his hearing loss.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his conditions are at least as likely as not associated with his 17 years of active service in the Air Force.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained during his active service, and therefore grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The claim for service connection for a right elbow disorder has been reopened and granted.,Issues related to left knee, right knee, gout, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and TDIU are remanded.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted. The Board found that the medical evidence supports a relationship between these conditions and noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service and finds in favor of granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability is granted. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted, but service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD) is denied.

The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeals for service connection and increased ratings on multiple disabilities, including right knee disability, flat wart hand, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, right shoulder impingement syndrome, left shoulder strain with rotator cuff tendonitis, and TDIU.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since April 1995. The most recent VA examination in January 2022 showed Level II hearing loss in the right ear and Level I in the left ear, which corresponds to a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, and both conditions are now granted. The claim for a left foot disability is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was evaluated and found to be noncompensable, as the puretone thresholds and speech discrimination scores did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current level of hearing acuity does not warrant a compensable rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as stress, is remanded due to the submission of new evidence indicating a possible causal relationship to service.