Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including a major neurocognitive disorder resulting from a TBI and depressive disorder), and hypertension. The Board found that these conditions are not related to service or secondary to a service-connected condition.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hepatic steatosis is denied.,The Veteran's right knee, left knee, and fat in blood (hyperlipidemia) conditions are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for a right knee condition, right ankle condition, GERD, and lower back condition are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and is remanding the issue of assigning a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or objective indications of qualifying chronic disabilities due to environmental exposures in the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus was filed on September 15, 2012. The Board found that the earliest date for which service connection can be effective is September 15, 2012, thus denying a request for an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss was not found to meet the criteria for a disability under VA standards, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable percent under DC 6100. The assigned evaluation for hearing loss is determined by the results of controlled speech discrimination tests and average hearing threshold levels at 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hertz.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has not resulted in a compensable disability rating, as his puretone thresholds have consistently been at levels that do not warrant such a rating.

The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is granted service connection. The Veteran's right knee scar is granted a disability rating of 20 percent, but no higher, from December 9, 2015. Other issues are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request for an effective date prior to June 9, 2014, for a 20% disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claims of service connection for plantar fasciitis and increased rating for right Achilles tendon disability are remanded.

The Veteran's cervical spine arthritis is not service connected as there was no in-service diagnosis and the condition did not manifest within one year of discharge.,Bilateral hearing loss cannot be service-connected due to lack of current diagnosis.

The Board has ordered new examinations for the Veteran's lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss disabilities due to potential changes in their severity since the last evaluations. The claims are also remanded for a VA audiological examination to determine if the Veteran’s hearing loss disability is related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss should be remanded due to missing service records and the need to determine if the hearing loss was incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right wrist disabilities, left and right knee disabilities, hearing loss, tinnitus, and headaches. The claims were all denied as the evidence did not show a link to active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of tinnitus and credible statements regarding in-service noise exposure, thus granting service connection. The hearing loss claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination regarding his bilateral hearing loss and because of the need for additional development in connection with his psoriasis claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is insufficient evidence to determine if these conditions are related to service. The Veteran needs to provide additional information about his noise exposure during service and any post-service occupational noise exposure, and a VA examination must be conducted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, low back (post-herniated nucleus), and primary open angle glaucoma. The cases are remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and to schedule the Veteran for examinations.