Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a mood disorder, degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, bilateral hearing loss, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has determined that he meets the criteria for TDIU based on these service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence. The issues of bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, and a chronic headache disorder are not addressed as they do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current conditions and his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II. The Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and depression), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with the exception of right ear hearing loss which is not shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations, and therefore denied his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, as he has maintained employment despite these disabilities for many years.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating for either condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current disability is causally related to his military service. The issue of an initial compensable rating remains before the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in either ear and tinnitus did not manifest during active service and is not related to hazardous noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be established.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine if his service-connected disabilities, especially bilateral hearing loss, are severe enough to prevent him from gainful employment.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, with the opinion that it is not related to his in-service noise exposure.,There is no evidence of a left ear hearing loss disability meeting VA criteria for a disability.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not establish a relationship between current hearing loss and acoustic trauma in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, including noise exposure in service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the TDIU claim and applications to reopen service connection claims. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are considered in determining whether he can secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's death is being reviewed to determine if his service-connected disabilities were a primary or contributory cause of his death in March 2010. The VA examiner will review the records and provide an opinion.

The Veteran's asthma, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and bilateral hearing loss have not met the criteria for higher initial evaluations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial evaluations were denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for hepatitis C, but not for the other conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing status at separation from service and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability and bilateral hearing loss.