Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss were denied as there is no legal entitlement to such. The criteria for service connection are met, but the current schedular ratings adequately reflect his disability.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is related to service and grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an examination. The RO will make a new request for his service treatment records, including the separation examination report, and schedule him for another VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted, as the evidence supports a finding that his current hearing loss disability is related to military noise exposure. The issue of entitlement to an increased rating for his low back disability remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear results from a VA audiological examination conducted in October 2009. The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his bilateral hearing loss disability will be reconsidered.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the criteria were not met prior to December 27, 2007.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional audiometric evaluations and records, as well as a discussion of how his bilateral hearing loss affects his ability to work.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including physical trauma from boxing and acoustic trauma from duties as a TOW gunner and infantryman.

The Veteran's leg cramps are found to be related to his active duty service, and granted service connection.,Service connection for hearing loss disability is denied as there was no evidence of a current disability that could be linked to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied the appellant's request for an extension of her delimiting date for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits, finding that she was not eligible for such extension due to the passage of time since her initial eligibility determination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of multiple joints and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 24, 2003. His TDIU claim is granted effective from that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of the Veteran's service in the Army Reserve and obtaining his Army Reserve medical records. The claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable since its initial grant in June 2007. The most recent VA audiological evaluations have shown no worse than Level II hearing acuity in the right ear and Level III hearing acuity in the left ear, which do not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of hearing loss during service or within one year after separation. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a current disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and ensuring all necessary evidence is obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and right knee disability are not related to his active service. The evidence does not show any in-service injury or disease of these conditions, nor is there sufficient credible medical opinion linking them to service.