Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his active military service.,Specifically, there is no evidence of any in-service noise exposure leading to current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, nor is there evidence of chronic symptoms within one year post-service for hypertension.

The Veteran's requests for an extension of time to file a Board Appeal request were denied, and the attempted appeal is dismissed due to untimeliness.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed because the Veteran withdrew his request for a hearing. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a lack of a VA examination or medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service hazardous noise exposure.

The Veteran's PVD is rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of the decision. The rating for PTSD-TBI as of November 1, 2020 remains denied.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and obtain an adequate VA examination and opinions, to include nexus opinions for direct service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and obstructive sleep apnea. The Board found that there was no persuasive evidence to support a finding that these conditions were related to service.,The VA examiners provided opinions based on their review of the medical literature and the Veteran's toxic exposure history, concluding that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, GERD, and obstructive sleep apnea were not caused by or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, with no evidence of a compensable rating.,Service connection for PTSD was denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence for the claimed in-service stressors.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied, but his claims for tinnitus and costochondritis were granted.,The Board has remanded the claims for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), pericarditis, and myxomatous mitral valve.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is granted. A compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection for a lumbar spine disability and right hip disability (secondary to right knee) are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the inability of VA examiners to conduct an examination because of equipment issues and lack of response from prison medical records.

The Veteran withdrew all his pending claims, including the rating higher than 20 percent for lumbosacral strain and the initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection due to noise exposure during active duty.,Service connection for the right knee condition is granted, with evidence suggesting it was incurred during active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty-to-assist error in the November 2020 VA examination report. The examiner did not discuss relevant service treatment records, nor did they provide adequate reasoning based on the IOM study.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss disability began during service and is granted for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims will be returned to the AOJ for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available.,The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for unilateral or bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear has been denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss and thus, cannot establish a link to service. For prostate cancer, the Veteran's claim is remanded as VA did not provide an opinion regarding whether his condition may be related to service due to toxic exposure.