Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss did not onset in service and is not related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection of sensorineural hearing loss is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an ear disability other than hearing loss, and his service connection claim for hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence linking it to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to unclear results of private audiometric testing in July 2010, which may establish an earlier effective date for the current 20 percent rating assigned for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of service connection for bilateral hearing loss in August 2010. The remaining issues of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a right leg disorder are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete development of records, including occupational audiometric test results from his employer TVA.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable prior to October 31, 2011, and as 10 percent since then. The current evaluations are considered adequate given the severity of his disability.

The Veteran is entitled to additional vocational rehabilitation services under Chapter 31, Title 38 of the United States Code due to his current occupation being closely related to his Individualized Employment Assistance Plan and necessitating the authorized training.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with credible evidence supporting this conclusion.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to address whether his current conditions are related to service. The case will be returned for further adjudication.

The Board has determined that there is a reasonable doubt as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to noise exposure during active service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no competent evidence linking his current hearing disability to his active duty service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating as his most recent audiometric evaluations do not meet the criteria for an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment, and thus he is not entitled to a higher disability evaluation.

The Veteran does not have hearing loss that is attributable to service, as his current hearing loss was not shown during service and there is no evidence of a nexus between the in-service noise exposure and the current condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is attributable to his active military service.

The Board is unable to determine the status of your claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and right wrist disorder as they are currently in a 'mixed' disposition due to new evidence submitted. The appeals have been remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's PTSD, sinus disability, and bilateral hearing loss are all found to be related to service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for VA treatment records. The claim will be reconsidered and a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) will be issued if necessary.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the appellant's current conditions are related to his periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) during which he was exposed to noise from equipment. The claims are granted as there is no evidence of pre-existing conditions or other factors that would disqualify these findings.