Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and bladder cancer were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred. The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's active service is found to be at least as likely as not related to her current bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing at the RO in St. Petersburg, Florida to address all three claims: tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss (with reopening of claim), and anxiety disorder.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and thus grants his claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tooth loss due to dental trauma. The decision also noted that the Veteran did not submit new and material evidence to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability preexisted his entrance into active service and was not aggravated by his active service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with competent medical evidence supporting this conclusion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria or a nexus between any such disabilities and military service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his pure tone thresholds do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. His claims for service connection for tinnitus, and applications to reopen claims for service connection for hearing loss and COPD are now moot.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a new examination to assess his employability given his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for a VA examination to address the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient medical evidence to decide the claims on appeal and a suggestion of a nexus between the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of current disability within one year post-service. The Veteran's current conditions are attributed to presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) rather than military noise exposure.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which he claims is a result of acoustic trauma during military service. The Board has remanded the case to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss and whether it is related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is manifested by no more than Level I for the right ear and Level VIII for the left ear, warranting a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service, as evidenced by a history of mild hearing loss at separation and no evidence of noise exposure during service. The Board concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss is more likely due to post-service occupational exposures.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was incurred during his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and folliculitis due to additional development being necessary.

The Board has determined that the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure in service, and thus grants service connection for both conditions.