Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is found to have manifested during his military service and the Board finds that it is related to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional error in not obtaining an adequate VA medical opinion prior to the August 2022 rating decision on appeal. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during service, but there was no positive threshold shift indicated during time in service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 60 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The Veteran also has service-connected tinnitus and other conditions that do not meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and readjudicated the low back disability claim. The Veteran's current degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is found to be related to his service-connected left great toe and ankle disability.,Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is granted as secondary to a service-connected condition (left great toe and ankle).

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 5, 2019 for a total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) rating. The decision found that entitlement to TDIU did not arise until January 5, 2019 when the combined disability rating of 70 percent was achieved.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hyperlipidemia and a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The Board found that hyperlipidemia is not a qualifying disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea have been denied as there is no current disability of such disorders, and the evidence does not support a finding that they are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, the lowest possible rating. The Board found that his hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating based on the objective results of clinical testing.

The Board has restored the Veteran's disability rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss from 50% to 20%, finding that the reduction was improper due to insufficient evidence of improvement in his ability to function under ordinary conditions.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and scars status post knee replacement were denied. The appeal was remanded for further action on the issues of service connection for low back pain and right knee degenerative arthritis.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected, with no specific exposure basis provided.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have started during his military service and has been continuous since then, meeting the requirements for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a broken tooth, head injury (TBI), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to procedural errors in scheduling examinations.

The Veteran's hypertension was not shown to be related to service and is denied.,Bilateral hearing loss did not meet the VA criteria for a disability, thus denial.,There is no evidence of a current left ankle disability, leading to denial.,Right ankle disability also lacks a current diagnosis, resulting in denial.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss was dismissed because the VA Form 10182, which is used to request an extension of time to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD), was not timely filed. The Board found that good cause had not been shown due to the untimely filing.

The Veteran's TDIU is based on a single disability (vertigo) and his ischemic heart disease, which was rated at 60 percent disabling prior to December 27, 2022. Therefore, the criteria for SMC housebound benefits are met and granted effective December 29, 2014.

The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss were both denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, as it was at Level VII. For left ear hearing loss, the Board determined there was no in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptomatology since service, and thus could not grant service connection on any basis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to an inadequate examination conducted prior to the September 2020 rating decision.

The Board denied service connection for insomnia and dismissed the appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss due to untimely filing of a VA Form 10182.