Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected, with no current evidence of chronic left knee disability, cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, or bilateral hearing loss. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation criteria.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss. The case has been remanded due to a need to address a claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a previous rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board is remanding the claims to determine if the Veteran's claimed conditions are related to his military service, including considering whether they were aggravated by such service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to noise exposure during his military service, leading to a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is REMANDED to obtain VA audiological examination, verify Naval Reserve service, and associate relevant records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during active duty service.,Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis (bilateral feet) is denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, thus dismissing the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations and therefore, he is not entitled to service connection for this condition. Additionally, there is no evidence of a pulmonary embolism during or after his military service, and the medical opinion indicates it is less likely related to his service-connected costochondritis. As such, the Veteran's claims for these conditions are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a scheduling issue for a Board hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus are still pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as his disability level and symptomatology are adequately addressed by the current schedular evaluations.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further development, including interpreting an uninterpreted audiogram and scheduling another VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, type II diabetes mellitus, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and prostate cancer have been denied as there is no competent evidence of current disabilities or a link to service. The claim for an increased rating for prostate cancer has also been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's continuous symptoms since service are sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no current diagnosis of hearing loss or foot disability. The right clavicle rating was found to be appropriate at 10 percent. The tinea versicolor ratings were also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss of the left ear does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his test results were considered unreliable for rating purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred during his active service and is granted as service connection.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability, evaluated as 70 percent disabling at the time of his most recent VA examination in October 2009, was found to warrant an increase to 80 percent effective September 29, 2010. The Board referred this matter for consideration of an extraschedular evaluation due to marked interference with employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA audiological examination to determine the nature and etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has decided the appeal is remanded due to outstanding evidence and privacy requests, as well as the need for a VA examination.