Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms were present within one year of discharge from service and there was a continuity of symptomatology without a clearly attributable intercurrent cause.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection. The Board has also remanded the issue of assigning an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board will seek an addendum VA opinion to address the etiology of his diagnosed bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service. The Veteran's reports of in-service noise exposure have been considered, with a private medical opinion supporting a relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, left and right foot disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation throughout the period on appeal. The Board granted his TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there were pre-decisional errors in obtaining an adequate VA examination. The appellant's representative requested additional evidence to support his claim, including a new medical opinion.

The Board found that the withholding of VA compensation benefits for 139 days of drill pay in FY 2016 was proper based on the Veteran's total compensation rate at the end of FY 2016.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of an increased rating for PFB, service connection for hearing loss, and service connection for a psychiatric disability due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and severity of his conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not due to an in-service injury, incurrence, or disease. Therefore, it does not warrant granting service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to continuity of symptoms since service.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection due to noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as he did not establish entitlement to a combined rating of at least 70% for his service-connected disabilities prior to February 26, 2020.,The DEA claim was also denied due to the denial of the TDIU claim and the effective date assigned for the TDIU.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left ear hearing loss are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so the rating for left ear hearing loss must also be remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 30, 2022, for the grant of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that there is a reasonable possibility that he was unemployable by reason of service-connected disabilities during this period.

The Veteran's right and left ear hearing losses were evaluated as noncompensable (0%) due to the audiometric test results, which did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance since September 21, 2022 due to his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation prior to September 21, 2022 was denied as there is no evidence of need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is approximately balanced as to whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claimed headache disability is not service-connected as it did not result from an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability that meets VA criteria for a disability rating.

The Board has denied reopening the claim of service connection for diabetes type I and remanded the issue of assigning a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's application to reopen his diabetes type I claim was not successful due to lack of new and material evidence, while the hearing loss case requires further examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension due to new and material evidence. The right ear hearing loss claim is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss. Service connection for hypertension is remanded for further examination.