Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability as defined by VA, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Meniere's syndrome with bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is granted, effective June 26, 2017. No earlier date of claim was found.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment during the period of March 1, 2006 to August 20, 2018.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's hearing loss had onset in service. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as new evidence did not relate to a current disability or show it was related to active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and anxiety and major depressive disorder due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during service, but not directly linked to service. His anxiety and depression may be related to harassment by leadership during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had onset in service following acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of beneficiary travel expenses to the San Francisco VA Medical Center on September 11, 2024 was granted as he met the criteria for reimbursement.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, primarily the residuals of prostate cancer, have rendered him unemployable as of October 2, 2023. The Board finds in favor of the Veteran on this issue.

The Veteran seeks an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss, which is currently assigned as 0 percent. The Board finds that the AOJ must attempt to obtain all relevant VA treatment records not already associated with the claims file.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for anxiety/depression, bradycardia, hearing loss, left knee disability, low back disability, migraines, right ankle disability, and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ should provide an examination for the Appellant's bradycardia.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and onychomycosis. The Veteran's conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure and/or active duty service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The evidence does not support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.,Service connection was denied as there is no credible evidence of an in-service onset or relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hypertension and entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA medical opinions and incomplete evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, effective October 23, 2020.,The Board has granted a higher disability rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and set an effective date of October 23, 2020.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability meeting the VA criteria for hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a failure to address the duties of the VLJ in relation to the May 2022 hearing, and to obtain an adequate VA examination.

The Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability rating under VA regulations.,The Veteran is granted an initial 10 percent rating for migraine headaches, but no higher.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as it was not shown to have been worsened during service.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is denied because the condition is not due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The decision on whether he is entitled to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, as well as his entitlement to TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, remains pending.