Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's service connection claims for hearing loss of the right ear and tinnitus are granted. The claim for hearing loss of the left ear is denied.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of an adequate VA examination, which relied solely on the absence of in-service hearing threshold shifts as proof that the Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to active-duty service.

The Veteran's neck and back conditions are granted service connection, while bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection for a right leg condition and an acquired psychiatric disorder is also granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the claim for hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in the October 2022 VA examination.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The Board also found that there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file for the Board to decide his claim regarding lower back pain with intervertebral disc disorder, thus remanding this issue.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable (zero percent), and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the audiometric test results from May 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD is denied.,The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right and left lower extremity neuropathy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not first manifest during active service and is not related to exposure to acoustic trauma or other injury in service. As such, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of January 28, 2022 for the grant of service connection for low back disability and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and bilateral hearing loss due to potential application of the PACT Act. The claim for diabetes will be remanded for a VA examination and opinion regarding the relationship between service and the condition, while the hearing loss claim will be reconsidered in light of the actions taken on the diabetes claim.

The Board denied service connection for left and right ear hearing loss as the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service. However, the Veteran's tinnitus is granted as it is at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss. The Veteran's hearing was within normal limits at separation from service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service discharge and that the Veteran did not have a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and his current hearing loss.

The Board has granted the restoration of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in their original grant.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected due to in-service combat noise exposure, including the explosion of an ammunition dump nearby.