Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected.,Bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as not service-connected.,Right and left knee disabilities are remanded for further examination and opinion.,Acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, panic disorder, and agoraphobia) is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and the rating in excess of 30 percent for hearing loss. The TDIU claim on a schedular basis was also denied, but the issue is being remanded to consider extraschedular TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as the evidence did not show that it was incurred or aggravated by active military service, and there was no aggravation beyond normal progression during service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability as the evidence did not show a nexus between current hearing loss and active service, despite noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the audiometric testing did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was reduced from 20 percent to 0 percent, effective November 1, 2015, to August 9, 2017. The appeal for restoration of the 20 percent rating is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, residuals of hemorrhagic stroke, and vertigo are not related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of secondary service connection for hypertension due to diabetes.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected hearing loss was more severe than reflected by his assigned noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the inextricably intertwined nature of his hearing loss claim and the need for additional development regarding his exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the service connection claim for a nervous condition due to new medical evidence, but denied reopening of claims for right shoulder pain and problems, lower back pain and problems, hypertension, left shoulder disability, and stomach disability.,The issues of entitlement to effective dates prior to December 1, 2014 for bilateral hearing loss and scar disabilities are also remanded.

The appeal seeking to reopen a claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Veteran's original claim was denied due to lack of evidence of a current disability, but new and material evidence has been received showing the Veteran now has diagnoses of left and right ear hearing loss. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for TMJ fracture, including on an extraschedular basis, is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for his service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) is denied. The evidence does not support a higher rating as the preponderance of the evidence weighs in favor of finding that the Veteran does not have a level 3 or greater impairment in any facet of TBI, and his headaches are not attributable to his TBI.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for an anxiety disorder, effectively dismissing the cases.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left ear hearing loss is remanded due to the inconsistency and unreliability of responses during the May 2017 VA examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected due to noise exposure during service. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking his current hearing loss to his military service.