Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new and material evidence. However, these claims are remanded for further development including obtaining a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to deficiencies in the examination report, and further development of his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus is required.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence and need for clarification of the appellant's representative. The VA will provide a supplemental statement of the case after considering the June 2011 private medical opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have left ear hearing loss or a right knee disability attributable to service. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of a stomach disability in service and concluded that GERD is not related to service or a service-connected condition.,There was no hearing loss noted during service, and the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss does not appear to be due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the VLJ who conducted his Travel Board hearing no longer working at the Board. He will be given a new opportunity to provide testimony before the Board.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his active duty service, leading to a denial of both claims.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records, including those from the Loma Linda VA Medical Center and any other relevant VA facilities. The case will be adjudicated again after this information has been obtained.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been denied as there is no schedular basis to grant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

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

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since March 3, 2008. The Board finds that a referral for an extraschedular evaluation is warranted due to the impact of his hearing loss on employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not present during service or for decades thereafter, and the most persuasive evidence fails to establish his current hearing loss as medically attributable to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, meeting the criteria for service connection.

Throughout the rating period on appeal, no worse than Level II hearing acuity in the right ear and Level I hearing acuity in the left ear has been demonstrated for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's hypertension is not caused by service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensably disabling prior to July 21, 2011. Since then, he has been awarded a 10 percent rating effective from July 21, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, a right eye disability, rheumatic fever residuals, PTSD, and a dental condition. The decision is final as it was not appealed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, thus granting these claims.

The Board found no evidence of current hearing loss or tinnitus in service, and the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no nexus to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as they are not severe enough to prevent him from securing or following any form of substantially gainful employment.