Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain relevant service records and medical records, as well as to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have onset in service or due to military noise exposure, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no worse than numerical designations of I in the right ear, and III in the left ear. The claim for a compensable evaluation for this condition has been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for sleep apnea and the issues of service connection for hearing loss, fracture right fifth metacarpal residuals, and sinus disability have been withdrawn. The Board has dismissed these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss, but denied the remaining claims. The Veteran's right ear hearing acuity was noted to be within normal limits throughout his military service and post-service evaluations. Service connection is granted for coronary artery disease (CAD) with a non-compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The preponderance of the evidence shows that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated during active duty, and there is no nexus between current diagnoses and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to noise exposure during service, specifically his active duty in the 1967 Detroit Riot. As such, the claims for service connection for these conditions have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for an updated VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus, and the Veteran's current complaints are not credible. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation, as his audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to his noise exposure during active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the current disabilities are not caused by or a result of military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional medical examinations and opinions to determine the relationship between his current hearing loss, tinnitus, bladder carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, and peripheral neuropathy with exposure to herbicides in service.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was not shown to be worse than Level II in the right ear and Level III in the left ear, which does not warrant a rating higher than noncompensable for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for right pre-auricular scar and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss are pending, but the RO has not addressed these issues in their accrued benefits context. The appellant is seeking VA compensation based on her husband's death.

The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 40 percent prior to December 1, 2008 and reduced to 30 percent effective that date.,An evaluation in excess of 30 percent for the period from December 1, 2008 to September 24, 2010 is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted, with an effective date of December 20, 2005. The Veteran is currently rated at 30 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss from that date.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied by the Board as there is no evidence of impairment warranting a higher evaluation.