Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of hearing loss in service or within one year after service and concluding that any current hearing loss is not related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including scheduling examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hearing loss, headaches, and anal fistula.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, prostate cancer, bladder stones, kidney stones, and a urinary tract disability. The issues of severance of service connection for right knee meniscectomy residuals were also addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus, as the current diagnosis does not support a finding that it is related to military service. For erectile dysfunction, hearing loss, dyshydrosis, and hemorrhoids, the preponderance of the evidence did not support the assignment of compensable ratings.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including as a result of noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence is against granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for migraines and remanded the case to obtain additional medical records, clarify the Veteran's disability picture, and schedule appropriate VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an opinion from VA healthcare providers regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiological examination and clarification of private audiometric evaluations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to unclear evidence of his employability by reason of service-connected disabilities. Additional development, including a medical examination and review of SSA records, is required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for clarification of the June 2009 VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus based on the Veteran's credible statements of in-service stressors and noise exposure. The diagnoses are supported by VA medical records and expert opinions.

The VA determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, despite his reported noise exposure. The Board found no medical evidence showing a threshold shift in hearing at separation from service and concluded that the Veteran's tinnitus was likely caused by service but his hearing loss was not.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The VA examiner could not determine a nexus between current hearing loss and service due to the many years of occupational noise exposure.

The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against finding service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and malignant melanoma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The claim will be reconsidered with new evidence considered.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied bilateral hearing loss was received on December 9, 2002. The Board granted an effective date of March 21, 2003 for the award of service connection for tinnitus.,An earlier effective date of December 9, 2002 is granted for the award of service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA standards, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.