Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected. The Board found that the current disabilities had their onset during service or were related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU is remanded due to insufficient evidence of his functional and work-related capabilities during the period from January 27, 2009, to January 26, 2010. The AOJ must obtain missing records and provide a VA examiner with relevant information.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus was granted. Claims for fibromyalgia, CFS, respiratory disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, skin disorder, lumbosacral strain, and TBI were denied or remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine disability, back disability, erectile dysfunction, prostate disability, bilateral ankle and knee disabilities, shoulder and hip disabilities, right upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathies, anxiety, depression, and PTSD were not shown as chronic in service or related to a service-connected disability. The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding these conditions being related to his military service to be speculative.,The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were first diagnosed 30 years after separation from service and are not considered to be related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current tinnitus had its onset during service and is related to his exposure to noise during that time. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's report and the need for additional medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and insufficient medical opinions. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss but granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is at least in equipoise with being related to her military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death prior to a final decision. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore denied service connection for this condition. The hypertension claim is remanded as it requires further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and has remanded his claim for a higher rating for degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The case has been remanded for further rating consideration.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure. However, the claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to a lack of evidence showing a diagnosis prior to death.

The Board has remanded both the issue of reducing the rating for bilateral hearing loss from 20 percent to 10 percent and the issue of increasing the rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss. A new VA examination is needed due to an inadequate private audiological evaluation in August 2019.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to his service-connected sinusitis because a grant of service connection was made in June 2019. The Board also denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is not related to his service or his service-connected sinusitis.