Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations and was not incurred in service, thus denying his claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to additional development being required.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no competent evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been manifested by hearing that is no worse than level II in the right ear, and no worse than level III in the left ear for the entire period prior to March 18, 2011. This warrants a noncompensable (0%) disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted, as the evidence supports a finding that his current hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during active service, nor could they be presumed to have been so incurred. The evidence did not support a finding of nexus between current hearing loss and tinnitus and service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as 50 percent disabling, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from Social Security Administration and National Guard, conducting a VA audiology examination, and scheduling a psychiatric examination. The Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD are on appeal.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset during service and is related to his in-service noise exposure. As such, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his many years of active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been evaluated as noncompensable since the initial grant of service connection. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on current functional impairment.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the objective medical evidence did not show his current hearing loss to be worse than Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his military noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his period of active service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service. The VA examinations did not find any nexus between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's current hearing loss was not shown to be related to his military service, including noise exposure. The Board found the preponderance of evidence against a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss is service-connected.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The evidence showed verified in-service combat-related stressors and a current diagnosis of PTSD.,Service connection was also granted for bilateral hearing loss, but the status of this issue is unknown.

The Veteran's PTSD, right ear hearing loss, and chronic cough have been granted service connection. The initial ratings for PTSD are set at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally related to his military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and pilonidal cyst are on appeal.