Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional medical opinions and records, including from his former employers.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear and granted it. The Veteran is now entitled to a compensable rating (60%) for his right ear hearing loss from April 30, 2007 to August 28, 2009. For the period since August 29, 2009, he is not entitled to an evaluation in excess of 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and migraines were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation in either case.

The Board has granted service connection for schizoaffective disorder with major depressive disorder and hypomania, but denied the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing a current disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing and any further development as requested. The case will be returned to the Board after this.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, shrapnel wound of the head with damage to the right eye, and back condition were denied. The claim for PTSD was granted but an increased evaluation is still pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability was reopened and granted. His bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and bilateral hearing loss cannot be granted as there is no evidence of a disease or injury in service, and current disability due to such exposure. The claim for tinnitus will be remanded.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus, and there was no evidence of such disabilities during service. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating based on the audiometric test results provided.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, MRSA, and a psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable based on audiometric testing results, and the claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to restore a 50% disability rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability, which was previously rated as noncompensably disabling since April 10, 2006. The decision stated that the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for restoration of the higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the evaluation of his bilateral hearing loss from January 15, 2004 to June 6, 2006 and on and after June 7, 2006 has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

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

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence of in-service noise exposure or current disabilities during service. The only competent opinion against the claims was provided by a VA audiologist who opined that it is not as likely as not that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining his service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, finding that no legal basis exists to assign an earlier effective date than June 21, 2006.