Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence received since the last denial does not establish a nexus between current disabilities and military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, effectively dismissing these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service records and providing VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed neck disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including audiometric evaluations and physical examinations to determine the severity of his service-connected left ear hearing loss and right foot disability. The case will be returned to the Board for further consideration.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current level of hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally related to his active duty service, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied as he does not have a current disability within the meaning of VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and to ensure that all relevant records are obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active duty service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending as additional evidence is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, acid reflux, or bone disease. The claim for service connection is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during service, and grants service connection for this condition. The spine disability is found to be not related to service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his active duty service, as evidenced by his in-service audiometric results and lack of post-service treatment for a hearing loss disability. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current hearing loss was less likely due to noise exposure during service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence supports reopening of his claim for hearing loss and that both conditions were aggravated during active duty. Tinnitus was found to be congenital but in-service noise exposure is considered aggravating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus as these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and there is no competent evidence linking his tinnitus to service. As such, both claims are denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition, sun (heat) stroke, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression were denied as there is no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or current disability within a year of discharge. The VA examiner concluded that any hearing loss would have been identified at separation and was not due to military noise exposure.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, previously characterized as vertigo. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings based on the current level of impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of June 30, 2004 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, finding that the claim was not timely filed and thus the earliest possible effective date is June 5, 2008.