Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a VA examination and additional medical opinions regarding the veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, specifically left shoulder disability, bilateral ankle disability, and right ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging an audiological examination to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to unclear audiometric evidence and need for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected ankle disabilities played a material causal role in his death, and therefore grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran is seeking service connection for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability and chronic tinnitus. The Board has determined that a VA examination should be conducted to determine the etiology of these conditions, as well as their relationship to his inservice head trauma and any related service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear evidence regarding the existence of right ear hearing loss and a need for further examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no competent evidence linking his current hearing loss to service or any other factor.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his military service, including in-service noise exposure.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not initially manifest during service or within one year afterwards, and are not shown to be otherwise related to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need to obtain treatment records from Dr. Wilson, which may impact his claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine whether the veteran is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including now-service-connected psychiatric disability. The veteran's claim of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to incomplete service medical records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dental injury, right upper extremity disability, back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions during his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a verified injury occurring during a period of active or inactive duty for training, and thus service connection cannot be granted for the claimed disabilities.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, as his current hearing impairment does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claims for hearing loss, sleep disorder, lethargy, PTSD, stomach problems, intestinal polyps, skin condition of the legs, face, and arms (previously claimed as itching), diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and headaches have all been denied. The RO found no evidence to support these conditions or their relationship to service.,The veteran's claims for PTSD were previously denied due to lack of verified stressor events. New evidence submitted since the previous denial does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disorder and bilateral hearing loss. The case is being remanded to obtain relevant medical records, including those from VA and non-VA providers who have treated the veteran.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hearing loss, tinnitus, a knee disability, a low back disability, an ankle disability, or a hand disability as the result of disease or injury incurred in service. The claims are therefore denied.