Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or any other service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to provide a new VA examination due to the lack of access to his claims file during the previous examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all three issues has been withdrawn.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset in service or due to any incident of service. The evidence does not support a finding of chronic hearing loss during service, nor is there sufficient continuity of symptomatology post-service to establish service connection.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability was denied because he did not have sufficient hearing impairment to qualify as a disability. The Veteran's hypertension was also denied, but the issue of entitlement to a compensable initial evaluation for left ear hearing loss disability is pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a sleep disorder were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of current disabilities meeting the criteria for these conditions, as defined by VA standards. For the knee and low back issues, the claim was not addressed due to lack of clarity in the appeal period.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a new VA audiology examination to determine if the Veteran currently has left ear hearing loss related to his service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities, and there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service. Therefore, service connection for both disabilities cannot be established.

The VA determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, specifically finding no significant threshold shift in his hearing during service and concluding that his hearing loss is unrelated to noise exposure from aircraft engines.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The RO denied service connection on the grounds that there was no clinical diagnosis of these conditions during service, and the current diagnoses were not related to noise exposure in service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss because there was no evidence showing it was incurred in or aggravated during active military service. New evidence received since then does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The decision found that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The evidence does not show a chronic condition during service or within one year of discharge from service, nor is there any competent medical opinion linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate rationale in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as they likely pre-existed service. The appeal is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin cancer and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found no evidence linking the skin cancer to service, including exposure to herbicides, and determined that the Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under VA regulations.

The Board has denied all issues on appeal except the claim for a higher initial evaluation for tinnitus, which is addressed in the decision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing VA medical records.