Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for left ear hearing loss, finding that his condition is etiologically related to noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded and will require further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been reopened. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service, thus granting service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance as to whether these conditions are related to exposure to acoustic trauma during service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10 percent prior to March 4, 2020 and granted a 40 percent rating from March 4, 2020 to January 19, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a right ring finger injury. The Veteran's claims for bladder cancer and injuries to the index and long fingers of his right hand have been dismissed.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with a Maryland CNC speech recognition score of Level II in both ears and pure tone thresholds averaging no worse than 35 decibels.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected. The claim for TDIU prior to May 11, 2009, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for new examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability did not have its onset in service, was not related to noise exposure during service, and is not otherwise related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is found to have clearly and unmistakably preexisted service but no aggravation was found. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also being examined.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 50 percent since February 13, 2018. The Board denied an increased rating as the audiometric results did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding increased ratings for several disabilities and service connection claims, including for headaches, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, a left knee condition, and bilateral hearing loss. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and PFB have been denied as there is no current disability meeting the VA definition of a hearing loss disability.,For his right shoulder, knee, ankle, and foot disorders, unspecified circulation disorder, and scalp disorder (previously claimed as alopecia), the Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has previously denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete medical opinions and need for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current disability that meets VA criteria.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the lack of a recent VA examination. A new examination is required to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability.