Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, and there are no exceptional circumstances warranting extraschedular consideration.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for gout and onychocryptosis of the left great toe are reopened, but service connection remains denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA compensation criteria.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety and PTSD) is denied because the Veteran does not have a diagnosed psychiatric condition.,Service connection for sleep disturbances (including sleep apnea) is denied due to attribution of symptoms to obstructive sleep apnea, which was not incurred in or caused by service.,Service connection for painful joints, other than gout and a neck disability, is denied as the Veteran has not identified specific joints for which he seeks service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the appeal period for this issue has been REMANDED.,The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are currently rated at 30% from February 1, 2016 to July 27, 2019. The appeal period for this issue is also REMANDED.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right lower extremity amputation as the evidence did not meet the criteria for these conditions.,Service connection was also denied for treatment purposes only for PTSD under 38 U.S.C. § 1702.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to October 22, 2018 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and a painful scar of the midline abdomen have been denied as there is no indication that the Veteran had filed an application for these conditions before this date.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU has been granted effective from August 10, 2022.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for blood clots can be decided. The Veteran's appeal will be remanded to allow the AOJ to consider all evidence added since the last decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the bilateral hearing loss claim due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been remanded due to insufficient evidence or procedural issues. The appeals are not about service connection, but rather the severity of his existing conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues, including service connection for PTSD, schizophrenia, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), tremors in the upper extremities, right hand and fifth digit arthritis, right knee disability, left knee disability, and fainting spells with shortness of breath. The effective date for service connection remains February 2, 2018.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent effective November 28, 2023.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's actual in-service noise exposure is a key factor that needs to be addressed by VA examiners.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding records and needs to obtain them for proper evaluation of the Veteran's claims. The issues include determining appropriate ratings, establishing service connection, and increasing the rating for Meniere's syndrome.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, with the tinnitus service connection being established. The increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of adequate rationale in the VA examination opinion provided prior to the rating decision on appeal.

The Board has vacated the January 2024 decision and granted increased disability ratings for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction (Nehmer Granted), hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and thrombosis. The Veteran also received SMC based on aid and attendance.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral hearing loss were dismissed due to the failure to timely file a VA Form 10182, which is required by law.

The Board has determined that the case needs to be remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including incomplete or inaccurate factual premises in medical opinions and missing audiogram results. The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and hypohidrosis/anhidrosis are being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA eligibility, stating that service connection was not established prior to April 29, 2010, and therefore, no earlier effective date could be assigned.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.,Service connection for nerve damage/right lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were dismissed because the VA Form 10182 was not timely filed.