Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular requirements, and he failed to demonstrate unemployability due to these conditions. The issue of tinnitus was not adjudicated.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination, which did not account for evidence of impaired hearing in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or injury. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's arthritis of the spine is found to be proximately due to his service-connected pilonidal cyst, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains unresolved.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his normal hearing at service discharge and lack of threshold shifts during service demonstrated that his subsequent sensorineural hearing loss was unrelated to service.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective March 20, 2006. The effective date for the bilateral hearing loss service connection was determined to be September 23, 1999.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his military service. The VA examiner stated that there was no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and service.

The VA determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not warrant a compensable evaluation for the period between July 12, 2006 and April 20, 2011.

The Board determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not have onset during service or within one year of separation, and is unrelated to any injury or disease in service. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his disability warranted such a rating.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is due to in-service noise exposure. The decision also grants secondary service connection for tinnitus as it is proximately due to or the result of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to an oversight in scheduling a hearing, and the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are now pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, finding that there was no evidence to support his contention that his current heart disease began during or was caused by his military service.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than October 5, 2006 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was also denied. The Board found that prior to this date, there was no indication that he had filed a formal or informal claim for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss disability in the left ear, tinnitus, and right ear were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of his claim. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have hearing loss disability in the left ear.

The Board has found the Veteran's statements regarding his combat history and subsequent hearing loss to be credible, and concludes that service connection is warranted for the bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA physician provided an opinion suggesting a likelihood that the environment in Vietnam contributed to the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus, which are considered direct service connections.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder AC joint osteoarthritis with impingement syndrome, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection were denied. The Veteran was not granted any new evaluations or service connection.