Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his military service. The VA examiner found no evidence of a chronic disability within one year after separation from service, and the weight of the evidence does not support a finding that either condition is related to military noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus has been found to be related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issues of an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to TDIU are remanded.

The Board has determined that the service person incurred bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of acoustic trauma experienced during periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA). Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew the appeal of his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss before a decision was made.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran's back disability was granted a 40 percent rating effective August 5, 2010. His tinnitus claim was reopened and service connection was established. Bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and medical records. The VA examinations are also scheduled at a location closer to the Veteran's current address in Tennessee.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed without prejudice.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for reopening of service connection for left shoulder disability, skin disability, and respiratory disability (to include emphysema). The claim for GERD was not granted. Right ear hearing loss disability was also denied.

The Veteran's left ear hearing acuity is rated at Level II, warranting a 0 percent disability rating. The right ear hearing loss claim has been reopened due to the receipt of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no competent evidence showing a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment during or immediately after service and the most probative medical evidence indicates that it is due to occupational noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied. For his left ear hearing loss disability, the evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran is seeking initial compensable ratings for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood (claimed as depression), left ear hearing loss, and service connection for right ear hearing loss. He also seeks service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine as secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain and cancer of the kidneys as secondary to herbicide exposure.,The Veteran is seeking an initial compensable rating for his left ear hearing loss disability. His right ear hearing loss has worsened since his last examination in September 2010, and he seeks service connection for this condition.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine as secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain and cancer of the kidneys as secondary to herbicide exposure. He also seeks TDIU.,The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, chronic (claimed as depression) has worsened since his last examination in September 2010, and he is seeking an initial compensable rating for this condition.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability may be due to herbicide exposure during service. The examiner should determine if there is at least a 50 percent probability or greater that the Veteran has a right ear hearing loss disability as a result of active service.,The Veteran seeks service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, which he asserts had its onset during service and is related to his service-connected lumbar strain. The examiner should provide an opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease disability is related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and bilateral foot disorder were not incurred or aggravated by active service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms since service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and right ear hearing loss are related to his service, but left ear hearing loss is not shown to be related to service.

The Board has decided that a VA audiologic examination is needed to determine the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, which may be related to service. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of October 28, 2006. The TDIU claim is denied as the unemployability is due to nonservice-connected conditions.