Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a sternoclavicular sprain is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has provided credible evidence to establish continuity of symptoms since service and current disability, warranting service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus but denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 8, 2009 for a grant of service connection for a lumbar spine disability.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss with scarred tympanic membrane did not warrant a compensable evaluation, as his hearing impairment was only at level I in the right ear and level IV in the left ear.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA audiological examination and considering additional evidence submitted since the last statement of the case.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diverticulitis is not related to his active service and denied both his claim for service connection for diverticulitis and his request for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's post-service treatment records do not indicate a diagnosis of diverticulitis until 2001, more than 50 years after separation from service.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain audiograms and hearing conservation records from the Veteran's civilian employment with the United States Army. The case is now remanded for further consideration of the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. As a result, these cases are dismissed.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss was not related to his military service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, a vestibular disorder manifested by dizziness, and headaches. The Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has not met the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. The claim for tinnitus is granted as it is related to service, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not shown in service or for many years after service, and any current conditions are unrelated to service.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his service-connected hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA's rating schedule.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as the evidence is in relative equipoise that his current hearing loss disability is related to service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that these conditions are the result of in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that the results from the June 2009 VA audiological examination did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his active duty military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination.