Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD have been denied. The decision on the PTSD claim is pending as it remains on appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the VA examination opinion. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to service exposure to hazardous noise.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle condition and left ear hearing loss, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent disabling for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for such a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were denied in an August 2004 rating decision. The Board found that the Veteran did not appeal this decision, making it final. In March 2021, the Veteran submitted a supplemental claim which was granted in March and May 2021. The Board determined that the effective date could only be set to the date of the supplemental claim due to the lack of an appeal from the August 2004 decision.

Service connection for hypertension is granted from August 10, 2022. Service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus (secondary to hearing loss) are granted. Service connection for skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) is granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his right shoulder disability is dismissed as the issue was part of an earlier legacy appeal.,The Veteran's appeal for SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound is dismissed because it has already been granted for the current appeal period.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral foot disability is denied as he is already in receipt of the maximum schedular rating.,The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to September 7, 2022 for the grant of a 70 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied due to lack of evidence showing worsening during the year prior to his claim.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no basis for an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete evidence and issues related to the appellant's discharge from service. The claims will be reconsidered with additional development.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level XI in the right ear and Level I in the left ear, resulting in a 10 percent rating. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss disability is related to his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on audiometric test results.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to incomplete records and potential errors in the duty to assist. The Board cannot consider evidence not submitted at the time of the March 2021 decision on appeal.

The Board dismissed the appeals of service connection for right shoulder joint pain with impingement and left ear hearing loss due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a vision condition is denied as there is no evidence of current disability.,Service connection for low back and left knee conditions is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease.,Service connection for right knee and bilateral hearing loss conditions is denied as the evidence does not show any link to service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart palpitations is granted, with the condition being proximately due to service.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic renal disease, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee osteoarthritis and the medication prescribed for those disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge from active duty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent prior to January 29, 2024. Since then, a rating of 30 percent is granted.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied due to a lack of current evidence, while the claim for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there were no audiometric results showing impairment beyond 20 percent.