Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran had exposure to noise during service and his current tinnitus is related to this in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease of the right knee and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the minimum schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on unemployability. The case is REMANDED to obtain an opinion regarding whether he is capable of securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The VA Board found that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been evaluated, but the claims for increased ratings are denied as there is no legal basis to assign a higher rating.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise on whether the Veteran's hemangioperiocytoma of the brain with complications was incurred during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at the minimum (10%) level, and there is no evidence to support a higher rating based on current medical findings.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a headache disorder that is etiologically related to service and denied his claim for service connection. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was REMANDED.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The claim will be readjudicated after the examination.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, and left wrist disability. The Veteran's eye disability is secondary to diabetes mellitus. The Board found no evidence of current bilateral peripheral neuropathy or bilateral hearing loss in service or due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's left wrist condition was not aggravated by service. New and material evidence has been submitted for the left wrist disability claim, which has been reopened.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability did not have onset during active service or within one year of separation for active service, and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including providing the Veteran with a VCAA notification letter and readjudicating his increased rating claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's right ear hearing loss is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability was denied. The VA granted service connection for lumbosacral spine disability and assigned a noncompensable evaluation, which was later increased to 10 percent effective October 16, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for depression, but dismissed the appeal regarding bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to withdrawal of the Substantive Appeal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable. The Board finds that his tinnitus, which he contends is related to his service-connected hearing loss, has been established and granted service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of service dates and a VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.