Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities related to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine the veteran's exposure to herbicides and to verify his account of flights in Vietnam. The claims for service connection for hearing loss and diabetes mellitus will be remanded for further action.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional notice under Vazquez-Flores v. Peake.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by active service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including lumbar spine disorder, bilateral knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and chronic sinusitis, were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The Board found no clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing conditions during service and concluded that there is insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between the current disabilities and military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his active military service, specifically exposure to loud gunfire during training. As a result, the veteran is granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss did not manifest during service or for many years thereafter, and is not shown to be causally related to service. As such, the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant an initial compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a current disability. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions could not be attributed to military service without resorting to medical speculation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing SSA medical records and additional evidence submitted by the veteran's attorney.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examination and further development is required.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable. The evidence showed he had cognitive disorder and PTSD but was still capable of performing light duty work.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated during active service, nor may it be presumed to have been so incurred. The veteran's post-operative residuals of a torn meniscus of the left knee and bilateral hearing loss are currently evaluated at 10 percent each.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing disability for VA purposes, and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss during service and denied the claim for service connection due to lack of a current disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and there is no evidence of such conditions during service. As a result, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by active service and is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his period of service, specifically noise exposure during military service. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.