Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and Meniere's disease have been denied as there is no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension did not originate in service, were not aggravated by active service, and were not related to any incident during active service. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims to reopen his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disease as new and material evidence was not provided.

The Board found that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and post-service hearing loss are linked, granting service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's hearing loss and PTSD are not rated higher than the current levels, with his hearing loss remaining non-compensable and his PTSD rated at 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no legal or factual basis existed to grant the benefit.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including consideration of extraschedular evaluation due to marked interference with employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, and grants service connection for this disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not occur in service and is unrelated to his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent since December 23, 2004. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the Veteran's incarceration, and a VA examination or an examination at his correctional facility is needed to determine if his bilateral hearing loss was incurred in service.

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

The veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for proper VCAA notice and the need to obtain updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for meningitis was dismissed due to withdrawal. The Board granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability, as the Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's low back disability is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of clarity in the January 2008 VA examination report regarding the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss from 10 percent to 0 percent was proper. The Veteran's appeal as to a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran requested a higher evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, but withdrew the appeal prior to any decision being made.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is the result of treatment with ototoxic medications by VA clinicians without his informed consent. The Board finds that compensation for this condition under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is warranted.