Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding his left ear hearing loss disability and scheduling another VA examination for low back arthritis. The issues of service connection for left elbow bursitis and bronchitis are also referred back to the AOJ.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of the case.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not attributable to his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss did not originate during his first period of active service or within one year after discharge, and was not incurred or aggravated by any period of active duty for training (ADT). The Board concluded that there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to support a finding that the pre-existing condition worsened during service.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss prior to February 7, 2011 and an evaluation in excess of 40 percent from February 7, 2011 were denied. The claims for service connection for bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were granted.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain relevant medical records and a new opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death. The appeal is currently in remand status.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss from August 26, 2009, and a 20 percent disability rating from June 11, 2010. The case is remanded to the AOJ for further development of audiometric test results.

The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected conditions is 60%, which does not meet the percentage requirements for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). However, he was found to be unemployable due to non-service-connected factors (divorce and stress), and his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete service records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his condition did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service, are not related to service, and therefore denied service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as 10 percent disabling since May 2005. The VA examinations and private audiograms have consistently shown that the Veteran's hearing impairment does not warrant a higher rating.

The case is being remanded to the RO due to a procedural error in addressing the claim for increase for a bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for service connection as it was not shown to be incurred or aggravated by active military service, nor may such incurrence be presumed.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to address the meaning of 'suprathreshold' and to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service ear injury and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records from Conner Hearing Aid Clinic, and other issues remain unresolved.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that his pre-existing hearing loss in this ear was not aggravated by military service.