Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his active duty service, nor are they otherwise related to such service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent since March 3, 2009. Prior to that date, the claim was denied as there was no evidence of a compensable rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for tinnitus, did not find new and material evidence to reopen his claim of left ear hearing loss, but found service connection established for a low back disorder. The other claims were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded to allow for a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear sensorineural hearing loss is likely due to noise trauma incurred during military service and grants service connection for this condition. The chronic bronchitis claim is denied as there is no causal link between the Veteran's rare episodes of bronchitis and any remote incident of service. The mechanical low back strain claim is also denied, with no causal link established. Lastly, the PTSD claim is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to noise exposure during his military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service, and thus grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and there is no medical evidence linking her right ear hearing disability to military service. As such, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus on his occupational functioning and daily activities. The case will also be readjudicated to determine if referral to the Director, Compensation and Pension Service, for extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Board has vacated its previous decision and is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest until many years after service and is not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the disability did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular evaluation standards.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD due to lack of evidence supporting the claims. The claim for PTSD was reopened but still denied as there were no verified in-service stressors.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a back disability were denied. The claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability (to include PTSD) was not addressed as it was recharacterized on the title page.

The Board found that the reduction of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability rating from 10% to noncompensable was proper, as his hearing had improved and no compensation payments were affected.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current hearing loss to his active duty service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as non-compensable throughout the appeal period based on his audiometric test results.