Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Veteran's hearing acuity was found to be no worse than Level II in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear speech recognition scores and audiometric test scores from a private audiological examination. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss disability is pending.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service. The Board is remanding the claims for a back injury, prostate disability, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension due to incomplete records.

The VA examiner found that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss was not aggravated by military noise exposure, and thus service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is required, including scheduling a hearing for the appellant. The appeal will be returned to the Board after this development.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to his exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam-era service. Claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and determining whether his injuries were due to willful misconduct.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA audiological evaluation due to the age of the previous examination and his assertion that his hearing loss has worsened.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, as evidenced by noise exposure during service. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus, scars, gastrointestinal disability, and upper respiratory sinus condition and allergies have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.,The Veteran's STRs were silent for complaints, findings, treatment, or diagnosis relating to hearing loss and/or tinnitus. Her postservice VA examination did not find any current disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the threshold requirements for a grant of service connection, as there was no evidence of current disability and no medical opinion linking his hearing loss to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to restore a 10 percent disability evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss prior to August 27, 2008, finding that there was no material improvement in his condition and that the reduction from 10 percent to 0 percent was proper.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and laryngeal cancer are not service-connected, with the primary finding being a lack of nexus between current conditions and in-service exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, specifically, to his in-service acoustic trauma. As a result, the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) has been denied as he does not meet the schedular or extraschedular criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to acoustic trauma in active service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric test results did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board has ordered a remand due to incomplete records and the need for additional VA medical examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are pending.