Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further action due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding hypertension. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is being considered as a possible cause or aggravation of his diagnosed hypertension.

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

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, hearing loss disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during service or are related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 13, 2017 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was denied. For the entire initial rating period from September 13, 2017, a noncompensable (0%) disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for left and right knee instability, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and back condition were denied. The Board found no earlier effective date prior to May 21, 2019, for these conditions as the evidence did not show entitlement arose before that date.,For left and right knee strain with chondromalacia, a rating of 20 percent was granted.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, a back condition, and a left foot condition due to their finality.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, specifically left ear hearing loss. The issues of service connection for left knee and ankle disabilities are remanded due to inadequate nexus opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has remanded the case for further development and an examination to determine if a higher rating is warranted.,The Veteran's chronic kidney disease, Stage 3B, was not evaluated by VA due to lack of records from his civilian provider. The AOJ must obtain these records and provide the Veteran with a VA examination to determine if he should be granted service connection for this condition.,VA provided an inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as it did not consider herbicide exposure in Vietnam, which is a TERA. The AOJ must obtain a new VA examination and provide an adequate opinion based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as service connection was not established due to lack of evidence showing a current disability during the appeal period.,There is no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service, and VA audiometric evaluations did not show hearing loss until October 2021.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions.,For right ear hearing loss, the Veteran was awarded a noncompensable rating based on audiometric test results showing mild to moderate hearing impairment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding hearing examination reports. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being returned to the RO for further action.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA. The appellant contends that his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, but the VA examiner's opinions were deemed insufficient.

The Board has denied an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and has remanded the claim of service connection for tinnitus due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are not fully developed, requiring further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection as it had its onset in service. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's hypertension was not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,Bilateral hearing loss and psychiatric disorders were not diagnosed or service-connected.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability. The claim will be reviewed again with a new VA medical opinion.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted. Service connection for sinusitis, deviated septum, and bilateral hearing loss are denied.,Service connection for allergic rhinitis is remanded due to insufficient evidence.