Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and needs further development before a final decision can be made on the merits of the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss of the right ear was not caused by service and denied his claim for service connection. The veteran's sinusitis is currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The claim for a bilateral foot disorder is remanded due to insufficient development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability and chronic tinnitus. The veteran's service records do not show any specific mention of these conditions, but both are linked to his reported noise exposure during military service.,For chronic bilateral hearing loss disability, the Board found that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether it was incurred due to military noise exposure, and thus granted service connection. For chronic tinnitus, the Board concluded that there is insufficient evidence linking it directly to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active military service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service, including exposure to noise. The claim was denied.

The veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fatigue, and joint pain and body aches have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support these claims on any basis.,Specifically, there is no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss or GERD, and the veteran's IBS, fatigue, and joint pain and body aches are not shown to be related to his military service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating prior to July 3, 2007 and only a 10 percent rating from that date. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and there is no evidence of such during service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be granted.

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The VA examiner only considered whether the veteran's hearing loss was related to his last period of active duty, from February 2003 through February 2004. Additional development is required as the March 2004 VA opinion did not address whether the veteran's hearing loss could be related to all of his periods of service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and likely etiology of any current disabilities. The veteran's claims will be readjudicated based on the additional evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, and his hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable. The appeal for these issues is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or acoustic trauma. The examiner opined that the current hearing loss is more likely due to presbycusis (age-related hearing decline) rather than service-connected.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of current diagnoses and insufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Board finds that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his service, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and small fiber neuropathy, polyneuropathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The decision found that there was no evidence linking the current conditions to service or any presumptive exposure basis.

The veteran's claims for service connection for cold injury residuals to the feet and hearing loss are being remanded due to incomplete examination reports and outstanding records.