Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to his service. Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination to assess his ability to obtain substantially gainful employment given his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for defective hearing, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen his previous denial in May 1948.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as increased ratings for various disabilities including diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the extremities, and TDIU were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a nexus between current hearing loss or tinnitus and military service.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a personal hearing at the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's initial rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The TDIU claim is also denied due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities not preventing him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found no evidence of herbicide exposure or in-service noise exposure that could support a finding of service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not warrant a compensable disability rating based on the audiometric evaluations conducted from November 2006 to December 2009, which revealed at worst Level II hearing impairment in the right ear and Level IV hearing impairment in the left ear.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, prostate cancer, and a respiratory system disorder. The evidence received since the previous denials did not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are service-connected, with both conditions having onset in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss in his left ear for VA purposes, and thus service connection cannot be granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right knee disorder are due to disease or injury incurred in service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinion is necessary to clarify whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure in service. The case is REMANDED for further development.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability in service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination for hearing loss and issuing a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) for the issue of an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease, L5-S1.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and asthma have been denied as there is no competent evidence of current disabilities meeting VA compensation criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for high cholesterol, anxiety, obstructive sleep apnea, headaches (undiagnosed), joint pain in left ankle, joint pain in both elbows, joint pain in both wrists, joint pain in both feet, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for any of these conditions.