Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for PTSD with major depressive disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to potential errors in obtaining relevant private treatment records and inadequate attempts at corroborating claimed in-service stressors.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology.

The appeal is granted as a timely substantive appeal was filed in response to the June 2020 SOC, reviving the issues of hearing loss rating and service connection for back disorder, feet disorder, and trachea disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were dismissed due to the death of the Veteran before a decision could be made. The surviving spouse did not file a timely request for substitution within one year of the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus on a presumptive basis. However, the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy (radiculopathy), left hip disability, bilateral knee disability, and bilateral foot disability have all been denied as there is no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability were denied as he did not show good cause for failing to timely file a supplemental claim after his intent to file expired.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with alcohol use disorder, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has decided that more evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service. The Veteran will need to provide any missing records from a community care provider.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as new evidence did not support the claims.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and low back condition due to untimely filing of Notice of Disagreement. The appeal for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Board has determined that the VA examination provided is not adequate for addressing the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The matter must be remanded to provide a new, adequate examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a conflict in the medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The claim will be reconsidered with an addendum medical opinion.

The appeal of a duty to assist error during higher-level review for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's MOS was Infantry, which had a high probability for hazardous noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations in various service-connected conditions are being remanded due to a pre-decisional error where the VA failed to provide her with scheduled VA examinations. The Veteran is required to be provided additional opportunities for these exams.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 19, 2022, for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran also had a claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss which was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine condition, left heel condition, left knee strain, left shoulder condition, lumbar spine condition, and left foot condition, all of which are found to be related to his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not manifest in service or within one year thereafter and is not otherwise causally related to his military service, including noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. An additional medical opinion is needed from an audiologist regarding the etiology of his current bilateral hearing loss.