Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, scheduling examinations to determine if current prostate and left ankle disabilities are related to service or herbicide exposure, and adjudicating a petition to reopen a right knee disability claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA records and SSA disability benefits information. The claims will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Veteran did not file a timely notice of disagreement with the November 1970 rating decision, which granted service connection for various scars and residuals of shell fragment wounds. As such, the Board does not have jurisdiction over these issues.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions and reviewing all relevant treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral hip disorder, hepatitis C, and leukemia have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability or a link between the claimed conditions and his military service.,For residuals of cold injury to the toes, the Veteran was not provided with adequate medical examination as required by the August 2008 remand.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest within the first post-service year, thus denying service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset during active service or result from disease or injury in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability related to service and denied the Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss. For PTSD, the Board concluded there was insufficient evidence linking any diagnosed condition to in-service stressors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his TDIU claim was also denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection due to lack of in-service hearing loss or noise exposure, and concluded that he is unemployable based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 70 percent since October 6, 2011. The Board finds that the evidence supports this rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent since December 29, 2008. The most recent audiometric evaluations have shown no worse than Level VI hearing in the left ear and Level IV hearing in the right ear.

The Veteran does not have sufficient hearing loss in his left ear to be considered a ratable disability according to VA standards, so his claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss and his accounts of experiencing hearing loss from active service forward are credible and consistent with his military occupational specialty. After considering all evidence, the Board finds that service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the unavailability of his service treatment records and the need for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's credible account of its onset in service is consistent with his combat status and entitlement to consideration under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1154(b).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no current hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations.

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