Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to secure SSA records and provide proper VCAA notice.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, bilateral tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD) render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative bone and disc disease of the lumbar spine to his active service. The appeal was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease, 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 right ear hearing loss is causally related to his noise exposure during active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus was denied as he does not have the condition. The claim of service connection for hearing loss is pending and will be addressed in a separate remand.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The effective dates for bilateral hearing loss and a right knee disability are granted as of January 19, 2005.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no current diagnoses of the claimed conditions and thus denied all service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, while bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and is granting it on the merits, finding that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is attributable to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service, and the Board finds that his hearing loss does not meet VA rating criteria for compensation purposes.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's tinea cruris is found to be service-connected, with the Board granting service connection based on a finding of continuity of symptomatology from active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a supplemental opinion from an audiological examiner.

The Board denied service connection for skin cancer and granted an increased rating from 10 to 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, effective July 20, 2006. The Veteran's claim for increased rating of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional evidence and an opinion on whether the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to service, including noise exposure.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, effective from the original date of service connection in September 2006. The veteran's employment environment with Carnegie Hall results in some interference with his ability to hear and perform his duties.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus have not presented such an exceptional or unusual disability picture affecting employment so as to warrant consideration of unemployability on an extraschedular basis. For the entire rating period, the service-connected disabilities have not precluded substantially gainful employment.