Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment during or immediately after his military service. The VA examinations did not support a nexus between current hearing loss and tinnitus and service.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as his most recent audiometric test results did not show impairment at levels higher than level IV in one ear and level II in the other.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left leg disability, bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and meningitis. The evidence does not support the presence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military noise exposure, and thus grants his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently manifested bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and may not be presumed due to military noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of current disability for which service connection may be granted.

The Board has determined that additional substantive development is necessary prior to appellate review of the claims on appeal, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination for an audiological evaluation and another VA brain examination.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure. The evidence is in equipoise, with the Veteran prevailing on both issues as his pre-existing hearing disability was aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sexual dysfunction (secondary to diabetes mellitus), and hypertension (secondary to diabetes mellitus) due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for service connection for vertigo.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability did not manifest until several years after his Army National Guard service, and thus cannot be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if he has hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of active service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain verification of the Veteran's periods of service, seek additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his hearing loss disability, and determine if there was any clinically significant shift in hearing thresholds during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not currently have hearing loss of the left ear according to VA standards, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion in the VA examination report and the need for further analysis on secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate development of evidence, including failure to provide medical release forms and obtain relevant records. The VA examiner is requested to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss or tinnitus are related to his active duty service.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability in service or within one year after discharge, and the Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss has not been shown to cause marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards, and therefore an initial compensable extra-schedular rating is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination by an ENT physician to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss is related to service. The Veteran must be provided adequate notice of the date and place of any requested examination.