Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an upper respiratory disability and bilateral hearing loss, finding no competent evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates for various service-connected conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, sleep apnea, nerve problems (to include left side paralysis), and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeals are dismissed as without legal merit.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 40 percent prior to December 11, 2014 and increased to 50 percent from December 11, 2014 to March 25, 2015. The rating for a higher level of disability is denied.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 40 percent from March 26, 2015 to April 6, 2016 and remains at 40 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began in service and have been continuous since then. The decision is based on direct service connection due to exposure to loud noise during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service. The Veteran's current disabilities were found to be related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but has remanded the issue of service connection for tinnitus, as it is unclear whether the Veteran currently has tinnitus and if so, whether it is related to his service-connected hearing loss.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head trauma and PTSD have been successfully reopened, and both conditions are now considered well-grounded. The remaining issues related to the lumbar spine, neurological condition, right knee, thoracic rib area, hip conditions, hearing loss, heart condition/murmur, and high blood pressure remain denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected. His hypertension is denied due to lack of evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of loss of use of extremities, blindness, burns, or inhalation injury.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. An additional VA examination is needed.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his audiometric testing results have never shown him to have more than Level I hearing loss in either ear.

Your service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, but the appeal is dismissed as moot since your benefits are now in place.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted service connection, but the VA determined that it did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has reduced the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability rating from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective January 1, 2016. The reduction was proper as there was improvement in the Veteran’s ability to function in ordinary conditions of life and work.