Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss began during service and is related to in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's right shoulder disorder is granted service connection. The left knee injury and right knee injury are denied as not incurred in or related to service. Service connection for left ear hearing loss is also denied. A rating of 10 percent, but no more, for the right wrist condition is granted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus must be remanded due to missing service treatment records. The VA needs to attempt to locate these records, including any SSA records, which may provide evidence supporting the Veteran’s claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for a left lung condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was not incurred during service and is denied. The right ear hearing loss case is remanded for further examination.

The claims for service connection of right hand condition, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD and low back condition have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal. The claim for service connection of low back condition is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, which are rated at 60 percent combined, prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, and an earlier effective date for service connection for pancreatic cancer. The Veteran did not have ischemic heart disease or related disability that caused impairment in earning capacity during his claim period. His bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable under VA regulations. Service connection for IHD was denied due to lack of evidence of a current disability, and the Board found no relationship between DMII and pancreatic cancer.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. Bilateral hearing loss was found to be related to in-service noise exposure, while tinnitus is considered secondary to the established bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss but the issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to conflicting audiometric evaluations and lack of clarification on the use of the Maryland CNC speech recognition test.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including thoracic herniated disc, spinal stenosis, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, a closed head injury, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (posttraumatic stress disorder with depression), all of which were determined to be not attributable to the appellant's period of active duty for training.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a perforated ear drum, and tinnitus due to unresolved medical questions. The Veteran's claims are not supported by competent evidence establishing a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied. The claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for chondromalacia patella with history of locking of the left knee was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for a heart condition, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss. The evidence did not show current diagnoses or establish that these conditions were related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to December 31, 2014 was denied. From December 31, 2014 until October 11, 2016, the Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating was also denied. Since October 11, 2016, the Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating remains denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in his disability rating beyond 80 percent since October 11, 2016. Additionally, the Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient examination results and conflicting opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.