Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during her military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus are related to his service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss disability remains pending and will be remanded to the RO.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and fractured ribs was denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service noise exposure or other causative factors, leading to a denial.

The Veteran's right ear hearing acuity was not found to be worse than Level I, and thus a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss is denied. The claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss and variously diagnosed psychiatric disability are remanded due to outstanding records.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability for VA purposes on separation from service and denied his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination and additional medical records.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential issues with the adequacy of previous examinations and the need for further clarification regarding the etiology of his hearing loss, liver disorder, right foot disorder, and left foot disorder.

The Veteran does not have a current left ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and his tinnitus is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations. The Veteran's claims for service connection are being reviewed, as well as his claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for bilateral pes planus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The claim of entitlement to a higher evaluation for tinnitus is without legal merit.

The Board finds that the Veteran did not file timely notices of disagreement (NOD) regarding the initial noncompensable disability evaluations for left ear hearing loss and status post bilateral tympanic membrane perforations, which were assigned in February 2007. The appeal of these determinations is dismissed.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for the issues of hepatitis C, migraine headaches, a disability manifested by memory loss, a disability manifested by insomnia, a major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an audiometric examination and clarification of the nature and etiology of his current hearing loss.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for bilateral hearing loss was granted effective February 22, 2012. The RO assigned a 60 percent disability rating based on the results of his most recent audiometric examination.

The Board found no evidence of current hearing loss disability meeting VA criteria and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For tinnitus, the Board determined that there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between the condition and service exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was not aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an opinion regarding the etiology of his glaucoma.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The VA examination did not provide sufficient rationale for its conclusions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The claims for service connection for lumbosacral spine disability, lower extremity radiculopathy (claimed as secondary to the lumbosacral spine disability), and erectile dysfunction are being remanded due to the need for additional development.