Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient rationale in the VA examination, requiring a new examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss, specifically whether it is related to service or if it was aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, bilateral leg and foot swelling, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a chipped upper front tooth due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran is also requested to provide evidence of exposure to herbicide agents in service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development on several issues, including service connection claims and increased rating claims. The initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left knee disability are denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable. The Board is remanding the claims for service connection for right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, left foot condition, and left ankle condition due to a duty to assist error.,The Veteran's right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, left foot condition, and left ankle disability are being remanded as well.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during military service and thus cannot be considered aggravated by service.

The Board dismissed the request to reduce the Veteran's rating for bilateral hearing loss from 20% to noncompensable, as no initial decision was made at the time of the proposed reduction.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion relied on in the June 2022 rating decision is inadequate and remands the case for a new opinion to address whether the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is related to service, including conceded noise exposure from his duties as an aircraft armament repairman and ordinance specialist.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the mailing of notice of the examination was sent to the correct address, which constitutes a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board has identified errors in the duty to assist and is remanding the case for further development of records, including service treatment records, VA medical center records, and private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for OSA and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss due to new evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression), allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, left elbow disability, right elbow disability, neck disability, colostomy, diverticulosis, bilateral foot condition, heart disability, hemorrhoids, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, back disability, colon polyps, prostate disability, and vertigo were denied as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or a causal relationship to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was manifested by no more than a Level I hearing loss in his right ear and Level I hearing loss in his left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The Board denied the claim for an increased disability evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran seeks a higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss, which was granted as secondary to hepatitis. The effective date is set at May 10, 2018, and the current maximum rating of 100% is from February 22, 2021. The Board finds that additional VA records are needed to support this decision.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right and left knee pain, as well as bilateral hearing loss due to potential issues with the evidence considered in the initial decisions.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was rated at Level I bilaterally, resulting in a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 were both granted effective as of October 5, 2020. The Board denied the requests for earlier effective dates.