Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including additional medical examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, resulting in a denial.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is being remanded due to the submission of additional evidence and the need for further examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between current disabilities and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA) in the Air Force Reserve, which is necessary to determine if hearing loss or tinnitus were incurred during qualifying service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and basal cell carcinoma of the right temple were denied as there is no current disability, and the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at a private hospital in Kentucky due to a motorcycle accident is granted, as the treatment was necessary and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was received on June 21, 2007. The Board found that it is not factually ascertainable during the year prior to June 21, 2007, that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, left knee and ankle disabilities, low back disability, neck disability, right wrist disability, and migraine headaches was denied. The appeal is also denied regarding the TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, but his bilateral hearing loss is not. The decision grants service connection for tinnitus and denies service connection for hearing loss.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise and grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his claimed conditions are related to his active duty or to any service-connected disabilities.

The appellant is seeking a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but the RO has not treated these conditions as arising from a single incident. The appeal is remanded to consider whether he is unemployable due to service-connected disability alone and to obtain SSA records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining his complete service personnel file and any SSA records. A VA audiologist will be asked to provide an opinion on whether his current hearing loss is related to military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated in active military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a new audiological examination.