Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss on the basis of aggravation of a pre-existing disability, but has remanded to determine if it worsened beyond its natural progression by other service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable prior to November 08, 2021, and at 30 percent since that date. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) remains in dispute.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss. The issues of service connection for both bilateral hearing loss and left shoulder disability are being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and its relation to service. The Veteran contends his hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure, but VA examiners have found no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and service.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the period from July 11, 2017 to December 5, 2019. The case is remanded for referral to the Director, Compensation Service, for extraschedular consideration of TDIU for the period from January 14, 2010 to July 10, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder and back disabilities, as well as his PFB and bilateral hearing loss have been REMANDED due to the need for additional examinations. The Veteran's scars from vein stripping are not rated higher than their current levels.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and right knee disability were denied in previous rating decisions. The claim for DM II was remanded.,New evidence received since the last denial does not relate to the unestablished facts of these claims.

The Board has reopened the claims for bilateral hearing loss and a right shoulder condition, but these issues are being remanded due to deficiencies in the associated VA examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to a service-connected right knee disability.,Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted based on noise exposure during active service.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle, left knee, and right knee disabilities as well as bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence did not show the presence of these conditions during or within one year after active duty service, nor were they shown to have been incurred in line of duty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his requests through his representative in January 2022.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus has also been dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and its relation to service, particularly noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's hearing loss was caused by his military noise exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and active service.

The Board has decided to remand the issue of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to June 29, 2021 due to incomplete audiometry test results and unclear word list used in determining speech recognition scores.

The claims of service connection for various disabilities, including right ear hearing loss, low back disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and a right ankle disability are being reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The VA has ordered additional examinations for left ear hearing loss and potential service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome was denied. A rating of 30 percent for sinusitis prior to July 23, 2023 is granted, but a higher rating is denied from that date forward. The claims for left and right ankle disabilities as well as bilateral hearing loss disability are remanded.

The Veteran's DMII and hypertension were granted service connection due to in-service herbicide agent exposure.,Her glaucoma, sleep apnea, lung condition (including COPD and asthma), GERD, breast cancer, IBS, endocrinopathy, hypothyroidism, tinnitus, blood clots, heart condition, and bilateral hearing loss were all remanded for further development due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for skin disorder, urinary bladder condition, prostate disorder, and hearing loss are dismissed. The claim for hypertension is granted with a rating of 70%. The claim for total initial rating for psychiatric disability is remanded.