Hearing loss Board decisions

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

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to his failure to report for VA examinations. The claims are being returned for further development, including scheduling new examinations and obtaining medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is related to his noise exposure during active duty, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there are outstanding service treatment records that need to be obtained, including those from the Veteran's Army Reserve service. The VA needs to verify the dates of service in the Army Reserve and obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the conditions are related to active or reserve service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including coronary artery disease and unspecified depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, have been granted. The remaining issues are either denied or remanded.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. Service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the remanded issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss prior to March 27, 2017 and in excess of a 20 percent evaluation from that date has been denied.,Service connection for malaria was denied as the preponderance of evidence does not support its presence or association with service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot condition due to fungus and right foot condition due to fungus are remanded, as further medical examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence meeting the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,Service connection for hyperlipidemia is denied because it does not constitute a disability under VA law and regulations.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied due to lack of a confirmed in-service stressor. The Veteran's records show he was diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and his service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for award of a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which include PTSD, CAD, diabetes mellitus, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The Board finds that these conditions render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's initial rating in excess of 10 percent for recurrent tinnitus is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for the grant of service connection for recurrent tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to discrepancies between the clinical findings of record and the current evaluation.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's headaches are granted service connection and rated as 10% disabling.,The Veteran's tinnitus is denied a rating in excess of 10 percent on an extraschedular basis.,The effective date for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is set at November 26, 2014.,The effective date for tinnitus is also set at November 26, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided that the appellant's hearing acuity warrants a 40 percent schedular rating, but the RO needs to conduct further examination to determine if this is appropriate.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, including obtaining VA treatment records and possibly a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence showing he needs regular protection from daily environment hazards.

The Board has granted a 40% rating for bilateral hearing loss from June 6, 2016 and a 50% rating from December 4, 2017. The Veteran's hearing acuity was found to be at least 55 decibels in all four tested frequencies, resulting in the granted ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.