Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or any current disability. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including right ear hearing loss, impingement of a nerve (claimed as thoracic outlet syndrome and bone abnormality of the shoulder blade), dislocation of the right elbow, chronic fatigue syndrome, cervical spine disorder, and costochondritis. The decision is based on direct service connection without any presumption or secondary theory.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU prior to March 22, 2005 due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss preventing him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his active duty military service, with the most likely cause being acoustic trauma from in-service noise exposure. The claims are therefore granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss disability and cold injury residuals are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU, but the weight of medical evidence indicates these conditions do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition. The Board finds that his current level of disability does not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as the Board finds that his in-service noise exposure and subsequent combat injury are sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and scheduling the Veteran for new examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hearing loss, right shoulder tendinitis, and bilateral wrist strains.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a VA examination and obtaining updated treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, lumbar spine disability, migraine headaches, and left ear hearing loss was received on October 24, 2006, more than one year after his separation from active service. The Board finds that the earliest possible effective date is October 24, 2006.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. After review of the evidence, including a private audiologist's opinion linking the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service, the claim is granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an audiological examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a nexus opinion from Dr. W.B.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection on a secondary basis to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for tinnitus. The Veteran was found competent to report his symptoms and credible, and he is diagnosed with both PTSD and tinnitus. As such, the Board determined that there exists an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of this issue material to the determination of the matter, granting secondary service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to active duty service and the Board has granted entitlement to service connection for tinnitus.