Hearing loss Board decisions

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

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and affording the Veteran an opportunity to respond.

The Board has ordered the case back to the AOJ for further development due to inconsistencies in medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the claim of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of jurisdiction, as the issue was fully granted during the appeal process.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain VA treatment records from 1970 to 1976, and to ensure that all relevant evidence is in complete compliance with the directives of this remand.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA hearing examination and attempting to obtain records of a prior hearing test. The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.

The Board denied a compensable rating for hearing loss due to the Veteran's incarceration in state prison, making it impossible to conduct an examination and provide audiometric findings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation during any time subject to this appeal.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 30 percent since January 13, 2015. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or an initial compensable rating prior to this date. Additionally, the Veteran was determined to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities but failed to meet the criteria for a TDIU based on these disabilities alone.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and psychiatric disability are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The claim for compensable evaluation for dyshidrotic eczema is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other conditions, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of PTSD or any other acquired psychiatric disorder during service or at any time thereafter. Service connection was also denied for peripheral nerve conditions of the upper extremities and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and its relationship to his service-connected thoracolumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and stenosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ventricular septal defect, heart attack, bilateral hearing loss, and emphysema are not related to service or secondary to a service-connected disability. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors could not be verified, and thus service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and bipolar disorder) was denied. Service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied.

The Board has ordered additional development to be completed in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection. The case is now REMANDED.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to January 25, 2016 is being remanded as the Board finds that there are circumstances which warrant extraschedular consideration.

The Board found no current right knee disability and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches, skin disabilities of the feet and hands, a heart murmur, bilateral hearing loss, high liver enzymes, anemia, and a penile deformity.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative disc disease, L4-L5; polyp removal; otitis externa; and a skin condition. The hearing loss claim was also denied as there is no evidence that it has worsened since the May 2016 VA examination.

The Veteran's left foot disability is found to be service-connected, and he is granted a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss. However, the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, PTSD, skin disorder, paralysis of the median nerve, and paralysis of the sciatic nerve. The decision found that there was no evidence of a current disability in most cases and that the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents did not apply due to lack of service in Vietnam.