Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and determined that his pre-existing condition was permanently aggravated by active military service. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a bilateral knee disability. The Board finds that additional development is necessary due to conflicting evidence of record regarding the onset of his disabilities.

The Board finds that the appellant has not met the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as his audiometric testing did not meet the minimum requirements under VA regulations. However, the Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear sensorineural hearing loss is related to his period of active service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence did not show that his hearing acuity warranted such an evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during active duty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder), diabetes mellitus, and a low back disorder have been granted. The claim for residuals of a left ankle fracture has also been reopened.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss and assigned a 100% disability rating. The Veteran's PTSD is also granted, but the RO must obtain VA treatment records from November 2007 and schedule an examination to determine the current severity of his PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service treatment records and need for further examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, including due to in-service noise exposure. The VA medical examination indicated that the current disabilities are less likely than not related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for a VA examination to assess his current hearing loss, tinnitus, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under VA guidelines. The Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to comply with prior remands. The appellant must provide evidence related to his specific periods of ACDUTRA service, and a new VA examination is needed to determine if his bilateral hearing loss is directly related to these periods.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, but there is insufficient evidence to establish a connection between his vertigo/dizziness and service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability is manifested by an average decibel loss of 75 in the right ear and 66 in the left ear, with speech recognition scores of 64% and 78%, respectively. The Board finds that a rating in excess of 20 percent does not meet the criteria for increased compensation.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and stomach disability were denied as they are not related to his active service, including any in-service noise exposure or undiagnosed illness. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant, financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment therefor, as well as service connection for skin cancer (other than on the face).

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and gastrointestinal disorder, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence did not show a continuity of symptomatology since service discharge.