Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination, and a new VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss disability is related to his service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection, temporary total evaluations, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and verification of his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service or any other compensable condition.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, thoracolumbar spine condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, left leg radiculopathy, and right leg radiculopathy have all been denied.,There is no evidence of a chronic disease in service or within the applicable presumptive period, nor was there continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure was at least contributory to his current condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not service-connected as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.,There is insufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran had residuals of head injury during or within one year after service, and his reported in-service fall does not appear to have caused any residual issues.

The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted. The effective dates for these conditions remain at the date of receipt of the claim to reopen following the final denial in February 2006.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of service connection and rating for eye injuries, prostate disorder, lumbar strain, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for facial and lip lacerations was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection for coronary artery disease status post heart attack is granted as presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.,PTSD is rated at 50 percent, the maximum under applicable criteria.,Tinnitus remains at a 10 percent rating.,Bilateral hearing loss was initially noncompensable and now rated at 10 percent after January 14, 2019.,Low back disability is rated at 10 percent prior to October 28, 2015, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. Right knee disability remains at a 10 percent rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period and continuity of symptomatology was not established. The disability is considered etiologically unrelated to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to additional development being needed.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's lung cancer is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his military service. The hearing loss cases are remanded for further action.

The Veteran's claim for additional dependency compensation was denied because he has never been assigned a combined disability rating higher than 10 percent, which is the highest possible rating. As his tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss combine to this maximum rating, he cannot be eligible for additional benefits.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are service-connected, but has found that more evidence is needed to determine if these conditions were caused by noise exposure during his military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of a personality disorder due to the Veteran's withdrawal.,Service connection for back disorder was denied as there is no evidence that the current condition began during or is related to active service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was also denied because it did not manifest within one year after service and there is no evidence linking it to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sinus problems, left ear hearing loss disability, sleep apnea (to include as secondary to bipolar disorder), gout, bilateral knee disabilities, and back disability due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has worsened since the last VA examination in 2015, and a new examination is needed to determine the current severity of his condition.