Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus on a direct basis related to the Veteran's initial active duty training (IADT) period of qualifying service, effective from March 2023.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, and therefore service connection is denied. The psychiatric disability claim remains pending as remanded.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for sleep apnea were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection or entitlement to a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as he is capable of sedentary or low impact physical work.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss must be remanded due to inadequate examination and failure to consider a study supporting delayed onset hearing loss.

Service connection for allergic rhinitis is granted due to presumed exposure to burn pits. Service connection for right and left ear hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, skin rash (claimed as a skin disorder), bilateral hand disorder, bilateral hip disorder, bilateral leg disorder, neck disorder (cervicalgia), chronic pain disorder, upper respiratory infection, and bronchitis is denied due to lack of evidence of current disability or service connection.

The Board has found that the Veteran's May 5, 2020 notice of disagreement (NOD) was timely filed in response to the March 20, 2020 Statement of the Case. As a result, the appeal is granted for the issues related to hepatitis C and reopening claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a head injury, depression, and sleep apnea.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for right wrist tenosynovitis has been denied as no new and relevant evidence was submitted.,The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral foot disability, to include plantar fasciitis, have been granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The AOJ will remand this claim for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted as she submitted new and relevant evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these appeals.

The Board has remanded the claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions. The Veteran's service connection claims are not granted at this time.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and a disorder characterized by dizziness. The case is being remanded to obtain an appropriate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's reported symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a failure to obtain VA treatment records from his active duty service, as well as an inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence received after a previous denial, but the Veteran was not provided with proper notice regarding this decision. The case must be returned to the AOJ for appropriate review rights notification.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ will obtain new medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability of left ear hearing loss to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes.,Service connection has been granted for allergic rhinitis. The Board finds that the evidence does not establish whether the Veteran's current lumbar spine condition is directly related to his active military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in the January 2021 VA medical opinion, which did not consider whether hearing loss is related to service noise exposure. The Veteran's hearing loss will need to be evaluated again by a VA clinician.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU prior to April 27, 2021, and DEA benefits prior to April 27, 2021 is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting these claims.

The Veteran's appeal of the issue regarding an earlier effective date for a 90 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.