Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied his claim for tinnitus.

The RO denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and a right knee disorder, as well as thoracolumbar and cervical spine disorders. The Veteran did not appeal these decisions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot ulcers, left foot ulcers, PTSD, and diabetes mellitus were denied. The Veteran's claim for hypertension was pending as it is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. His claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and left ear hearing loss disability were both denied. His claim for tinnitus was granted.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the Veteran's service with the Air Force Reserve, including verification of his periods of active duty and personnel records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied as there is no current disability.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable. The VA audiological examination in July 2008 showed level II hearing in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and a need for clarification of medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating or an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, respectively.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to acoustic trauma during service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss remains unchanged.

The Board has determined that the appellant currently suffers from bilateral hearing loss, which is causally related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss disability and granted his claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic tinnitus. The case is now remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to inadequate examination reports from the private examiner. The RO will request clarification on the speech discrimination test used and the puretone threshold findings.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have hearing loss or tinnitus during his service and denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 90 percent since February 18, 2010. The Board also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for discontinuance of withholding of military retirement pay from VA disability benefits is denied as the program does not allow retroactive payments prior to its effective date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing acuity disorders, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, Labrynthitis, and Meniere's disease is being remanded due to inadequate examination. The Veteran will be provided with another VA examination to determine the presence of these conditions and their relationship to his active duty service.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are granted as they are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss was rated at 10 percent for the entire appeal period, with a reduction to 10 percent effective July 1, 2010. The rating decision proposing and implementing this reduction found clear and unmistakable error (CUE).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining VA audiological examination records and attempting to obtain audiometric test results from a Roanoke, Virginia Hospital.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no current disability. The claim for diabetes mellitus was also denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and active duty service or Agent Orange exposure.