Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions based on in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues related to service connection and evaluation of various conditions, including liver dysfunction, right hip condition, bilateral lower extremities, first degree AV block, patellofemoral syndrome with degenerative arthritis, status post right ankle fibula fracture, migraine headaches, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left knee osteoarthritis, and hypertension.

The Veteran's 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was restored, effective September 29, 2020. The appeal is granted as the evidence did not demonstrate a sustained improvement in her service-connected bilateral hearing loss under ordinary conditions of life and work.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the relationship to military service.

The Veteran's claims for right and left ear hearing loss disabilities, Morton's neuroma of the left foot (status post-surgical removal), and obstructive sleep apnea have been remanded. The effective date for an increased rating of 20 percent for left shoulder strain disability is set at February 20, 2019.

The Veteran's PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder are related to an in-service stressor, his OSA is proximately due to his service-connected knee disability, but he does not have BHL for VA purposes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for grants of TDIU and DEA, finding that it is not factually ascertainable that the increase in disability occurred within one year prior to his September 22, 2021 claim.

The Board has dismissed all the issues of appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraine headaches, tinnitus, hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, precluded him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 8, 2022. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from January 8, 2022 onward.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue.

The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remanded the case for another examination to determine if the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss disability, including whether it is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 23, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating and an effective date prior to December 8, 2019, for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting a compensable rating or awarding an earlier effective date.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a throat disorder, skin disorder, vision disorder, hearing loss, or tinnitus. The claims for these conditions are REMANDED due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of adequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to PTSD has been granted. The claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to missing service treatment records and outstanding private medical records. The Veteran's SSN may be incorrect, and a search should be conducted using both correct and incorrect numbers.