Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions in the prior VA examination.

The Veteran's conductive hearing loss in the left ear, status post-mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty with ear reconstruction and placement of prosthetic bone is rated at zero percent. A separate 10 percent rating for vertigo/dizziness associated with his service-connected hearing loss in the left ear has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and left knee chondromalacia were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support additional staged ratings for any time period on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, and low back disability. The claim for L4-S1 radiculopathy of the left lower extremity with muscle atrophy is granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as 20 percent prior to March 29, 2017 and 30 percent since that date. The claim for increased evaluation is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, taken as a whole, did not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to December 29, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current hearing loss in his left ear is related to noise exposure during service, and the Board grants this claim.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current evaluations are consistent with the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be etiologically related to his active service, and the Board grants service connection for this disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's service connection for tinnitus was secondary to his hearing loss, and thus granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear disorders, including hearing loss, were not related to his period of active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, but the right ear hearing loss claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, fatigue, and diabetes have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim. The Veteran's claim for service connection for undiagnosed Gulf War Syndrome is denied due to lack of a diagnosed disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and thus cannot establish service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability with regards to his claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim was denied, but his left hip arthritis claim has been reopened. The decision on the left hip arthritis is pending as it involves a secondary service connection theory.

The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his military service, including noise exposure during service.