Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The Veteran's current hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure, and his tinnitus is also likely due to this same exposure.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is currently rated at 30 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating of 50 percent is warranted.

The Veteran currently has hearing loss in each ear to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes, and the overall record tends to support a finding that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no medical evidence establishing a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further development, including scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were not incurred in service, as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Veteran's lay testimony regarding when he first experienced these symptoms was inconsistent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck condition, hearing loss, and foot condition. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety) was also denied as there is no competent evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service stressor.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable (0%) and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which combine to a schedular evaluation of 90 percent, likely do not allow him to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise in showing that he is unable to perform such work.

The Board has determined that further examination and medical opinion are needed to resolve the claim for service connection due to alleged noise exposure during military service resulting in hearing loss.

The Board is remanding the claims to the RO for further development and consideration, including obtaining VA examination reports on bilateral hearing loss and a bilateral foot disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and need for further medical examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise on these issues. The Veteran's statements and testimony concerning noise exposure are credible as they align with his service record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The initial rating of 40 percent remains in effect.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss disability is related to exposure to acoustic trauma during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and hearing loss, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The case is now remanded to determine if service connection can be granted for chronic left ear disorder (otitis) and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bronchitis with granuloma, postoperative (lung disability), bilateral hearing loss, duodenal ulcer, tinea versicolor, arms and chest, and tinnitus, render the Veteran unemployable. The Board finds that entitlement to individual unemployability is warranted.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty military service and denied his claim.

Throughout the appeal period, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by pure tone threshold averages and speech recognition scores that correspond to not worse than level II hearing acuity in each ear. The Board concludes that an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is not warranted at any time during the appeal period.