Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, loss of balance, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The appeals were based on direct service connection, but no evidence was provided to support these claims or link any current conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA audiometric examination and failure to address certain medical questions.

The Board has reopened the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection on the merits. The veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU, as they result in a combined 60 percent rating. The VA examiner opined that he is unemployable due to these disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have left ear hearing loss attributable to his period of active service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss is not related to military service and denied her claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is attributable to noise exposure during his military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred during service due to in-service noise exposure, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for financial assistance in the purchase of special adaptive housing or a special home adaptation grant is denied as he does not have loss of use of one or both lower extremities due to service-connected disability.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are the result of noise exposure during military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's hearing loss disability was found to be noncompensable, as his Numeric Designation of II did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, which is the highest available. The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss as there was no legal basis to award separate ratings for each ear.

The Board found that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss disability, and thus denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss is not related to service, but left ear hearing loss and PTSD are service-connected.

The Board has determined that additional development is required to determine if the veteran's pre-existing hearing loss in his right ear was aggravated by noise exposure during service.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is required to determine the current status of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as their relationship to service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.