Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and PTSD due to potential inadequacies in the VA medical opinions provided. The Veteran is also requested to undergo a new VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, bilateral tibial axonal neuropathy of the lower extremities, gall bladder removal and abdominal scar, Barrett’s disease, and left ear hearing loss are denied. The AOJ is instructed to obtain medical opinions regarding these issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the claim for a compensable rating is denied.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis was evaluated at 30 percent prior to July 31, 2015, and no higher. The increased rating claim from that date forward is denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied, but his claim for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for pes planus, lumbar degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, and right-ear hearing loss was received on November 28, 2014. The Board denied the request for an earlier effective date.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to hazardous noise during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, gout, acid reflux, liver condition, hypertension, carotid artery disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to service or secondary to service-connected disability. The Veteran is presumed exposed to herbicides during his active duty in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for an initial, compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a low back disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder are being remanded.,The Veteran's claims for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are also being remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether hearing loss in the left ear is related to service, including noise exposure during military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete development of records and need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation during the appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, loss of sense of smell, and chronic respiratory disorder. The Board found no evidence to support a current disability or a link between any diagnosed condition and military service.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of an increased rating for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed. The claim for service connection for a back condition has been reopened.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient or speculative opinions provided by VA examiners. The issues include PTSD, cold injury residuals of the feet, left ear hearing loss, low back disability, right wrist disability, and hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a permanent decrease in hearing acuity or delayed onset noise-induced hearing loss, and the Veteran's lay statements were not considered competent to identify underlying causes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.