Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and a review of his medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a clarifying medical opinion and additional consideration of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as these conditions are related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, along with other disabilities, does not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability and bilateral hearing loss are not related to his active service. The claim for bilateral knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of chronic disability during service, and continuity of symptomatology since service discharge is not established. For the hearing loss claim, while noise exposure was noted during service, the Board finds that the current hearing loss is not causally related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable rating for his suppurative perforation of the right tympanic membrane, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, which meets the criteria for a higher initial evaluation. The Veteran also has other service-connected disabilities that have led to a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection for left ear hearing loss was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for reimbursement of expenses of her husband's last sickness from accrued benefits, finding that she did not bear any expense related to his last sickness or burial.

The VA determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss did not develop as a result of his active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the issues of initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left otitis media, status post mastoidectomy, as well as whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for a sinus disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he does not have a current disability meeting VA compensation standards.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability, which first manifested many years after service, is not causally related to events in service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate March 2006 VA opinion and a need for a new medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's neurofibromytosis was aggravated by his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing impairment and right hip disorder do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and cause of the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, including whether it is related to service. The case will be returned for this purpose.