Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and residuals of a traumatic brain injury are service-connected, with all three elements (current disability, in-service event/injury, and link between the two) being met.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and post-concussive headaches were denied. The claim for PTSD was not addressed as it resulted in a rating increase prior to the decision.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding no current disability meeting VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the appellant's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to noise exposure during his period of active duty. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss claim is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition and for obtaining any outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied. The issue of service connection for right ear hearing loss is pending and will be addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is presumed to have existed prior to service and was not aggravated by military service. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability has been manifested by no more than an average puretone threshold, at the frequencies of 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hertz (Hz), of 83.75 decibels (dB) for the left ear and speech recognition scores of no lower than 64 percent in the left ear. The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss is denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeals due to the Appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and conduct a new VA examination. The claim will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss due to the assertion that it has worsened since the last examination in 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of his hearing loss claim. The examiner will assess whether it is at least as likely as not that any current bilateral hearing loss is related to service, including noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to assess his schizoid personality disorder, and scheduling a VA audiology examination to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. No decision was made on the merits of any claims.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to in-service acoustic trauma. The claims were previously denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to obtain additional medical records from the Michigan Department of Corrections regarding treatment for hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on all evidence received.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since December 1, 2011. The Board finds that the symptoms of near-continuous panic or depression and neglect of personal appearance and hygiene more nearly approximate a 70 percent rating.,The Veteran is service-connected for multiple disabilities including PTSD, bilateral plantar fasciitis, degenerative joint disease of both knees, undiagnosed illness, left thumb fracture, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left heel bone spurs, residuals from a left great toe fracture, and costochondritis. The Board finds that these conditions preclude the Veteran from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.