Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lipoma of the left upper back area is denied as there is no evidence linking it to his military service, including herbicide exposure. The claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, and joint pain are all remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for further evaluation and consideration of his symptoms.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and high cholesterol, but granted a compensable rating of 20% for incomplete paralysis of the median nerve status post, posttraumatic tremor of the left arm and traumatic neuropathy of the left hand. The effective date for this increased rating is February 24, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis C due to a lack of an addendum opinion regarding their etiology, as well as a failure to afford the Veteran a VA examination related to his hepatitis C claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and failure to address delayed onset of hearing loss. Additional development is needed, including obtaining updated treatment records and providing an addendum opinion from a qualified clinician.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for his bilateral hearing loss disability is denied. The case is remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board found that there was no evidence of an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment or a compensable rating based on new evidence. The Veteran's hearing loss remains at Level I in both ears.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied because he refused to report for a VA examination, which is necessary to establish entitlement to the requested increase.

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

The Board has denied a rating greater than 10 percent for the appellant's service-connected right ear hearing loss, as his current disability ratings are based on the audiometry results provided.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, but the evidence does not meet the criteria to establish a current disability.,Service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no credible evidence linking it to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to the Veteran not meeting the current criteria for a disability. The issue of total disability due to individual unemployability prior to October 23, 2021 is remanded as the AOJ did not obtain updated employment information.

The Board has remanded the claim for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss due to incomplete audiometric test results from December 2019. The Veteran's actual numeric test results need to be associated with their claims file.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, which is a substantial factor in causing his sleep apnea.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is related to in-service noise exposure and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The petition to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus is granted. The issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for chondromalacia, left knee; service connection for a psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression with polysubstance abuse); service connection for bilateral hearing loss; and service connection for tinnitus are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no current disability as defined by VA standards.