Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD have been granted. The Veteran is currently assigned a 70 percent evaluation for his PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a misaligned esophagus and an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claimed conditions were not related to his military service, and there was no evidence of new or material evidence to reopen his previously denied claim.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as VA medical records are missing or unavailable.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's case is remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities. If deemed necessary, the case will then be referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extra-schedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hand disorder is due to a service injury and granted his claim for service connection. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination and additional development of his claims file. The issues on appeal are related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability and entitlement to TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had significantly improved, warranting a reduction from 20% to noncompensable rating effective May 1, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to service, while his current right knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and determined that new evidence received since the July 1996 denial is sufficient to establish a link between his active duty service and his current hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are rated at 40%, and his PTSD is rated at 30%. His bilateral hearing loss remains at 20%.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level II in his right ear and Level IV in his left ear, resulting in a non-compensable disability rating. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in the disability evaluation.

The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The RO assigned a noncompensable rating effective from January 1, 2002.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be noncompensable prior to December 29, 2010. After that date, the Veteran's hearing loss was rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has granted an extraschedular rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss, but not in excess of 10 percent, due to marked interference with employment.

The Board found that the appellant does not have hearing loss in either ear that is a result of disease or injury incurred in service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD. The Veteran's appeal also includes an application for TDIU, which was not addressed by the RO. The Court ordered further action to determine if the Veteran raised a claim for TDIU and whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, loss of sense of smell, and respiratory disability are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of tinnitus and finds no competent or credible evidence to support his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. As such, both claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability and bilateral hearing loss are not related to his active service, and thus denied these claims.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the appellant's periods of service and to obtain any outstanding medical records. The claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus will be remanded for a new VA examination.