Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection due to a lack of timely filing of a Substantive Appeal, and denied the remaining issues as not having been presented for appellate review.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right eye cataract, and dermatitis were all found to have begun during active service. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for a VA examination to assess the current severity and manifestations of his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as 10 percent prior to July 1, 2017. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.,The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is now rated as noncompensable from July 1, 2017. The issue of entitlement to a compensable staged initial rating for bilateral hearing loss from July 1, 2017 is remanded.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus was not granted due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date, as no increase in disability was shown within one year prior to the March 15, 2017 claim. For the period of appeal, the Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinea pedis, a rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder strain, and hearing loss were dismissed. The appeal for a higher rating for tension headaches was granted to a non-compensable level.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine the current etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss due to inconsistencies in the December 2017 VA examiner's findings.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service. The Veteran's hearing loss was attributed to non-service-connected discharge conditions, while his tinnitus onset post-service.

The Veteran's claims for right and left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral foot disability (claimed as pes planus/pain), headaches, and a psychiatric disorder have been denied. The Board has found that the evidence does not support service connection for these conditions.,Further evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran has current diagnoses of these conditions or their residuals.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities because of inconsistencies in audiometric findings during the claim period, lack of specific test results from VA audiological examinations, and outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran will be afforded another opportunity for an examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been assigned.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory condition and sleep apnea are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and evidence collection.,Service connection for a respiratory condition is denied as there is no current diagnosis, and the claim for sleep apnea is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, as well as tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, are denied effective date prior to March 1, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with depressive disorder, NOS and alcohol abuse in partial remission is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for chloracne with icepick scars not disabling is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance prior to March 1, 2016 is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder condition, lower back condition, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not show that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.,There is no presumption of service connection due to exposure to hazardous noise or other presumptive conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, but his claim for tinnitus was reopened. The claims for hypertension are remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has worsened to a level where an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent is not warranted for the period from September 20, 2016 forward.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, headaches, left ear acoustic neuroma, and arthritis of the bilateral feet have been reopened.,Service connection has been granted for left ear acoustic neuroma and headaches.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's active service included noise exposure as a Morse code intercept operator, but his pre-discharge audiograms showed normal hearing. The Veteran reported experiencing symptoms of hearing loss and tinnitus since his military service, with the first documented evidence in 1987 for hearing loss and in the 1980s for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal as to all other issues is being remanded due to the need for additional development.