Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD and obtaining treatment records from the Jackson VA Medical Center. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) has also been raised.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and determined that new evidence received since the last denial supports this reopening. The Veteran's exposure to loud sounds in service is acknowledged, but his current hearing loss was not chronic during service and is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and sleep apnea have been denied due to lack of evidence supporting a direct relationship with his military service. The claim for hypertension was previously denied as new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and depression.

The Board found no evidence of a link between the Veteran's service and his current bilateral hearing loss, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA audiological examination to evaluate the current nature and severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The case will be returned to the Board after this additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable (0 percent) since the effective date of service connection in August 2001. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period during the appeal period, and thus denies both claims.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for PTSD, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, gastrointestinal condition secondary to PTSD, back disability, skin condition on chest, back and arms, migraine headaches, and eye condition due to unresolved procedural issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since the July 2004 rating decision, which is the maximum schedular evaluation available for this condition.

The VA determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 50 percent prior to November 2, 2010 and at 60 percent since that date. The appeal is denied for both periods.

The Board has determined that an effective date of October 1, 2004, is granted for the grant of service connection for prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, osteoarthritis of both knees, and degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, which was incurred due to inservice acoustic trauma. As a result, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to issue a statement of the case addressing the issues of increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran must be provided an opportunity to respond before the claims are returned to the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions. The current diagnoses were not shown to be directly related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable based on the most recent VA audiological evaluation, which showed level I hearing acuity in his right ear and level II hearing acuity in his left ear. The Board found that this did not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted effective June 9, 2009. He is currently rated at 10 percent for his right ear hearing loss and 10 percent for his left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric test results did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and pes planus have been granted. However, the claim for service connection for residuals of a fracture to the coccyx remains pending.