Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining a supplemental opinion regarding the relationship between his hearing loss and tinnitus with service exposure, as well as an eye examination to determine if any current left eye disability is related to service or radiation exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a hearing loss disability during active duty. The VA examiner stated that the current hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely caused by noise exposure during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is unrelated to in-service noise exposure.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left leg stab wound, including a scar, has been reopened and granted. The Board also found that the Veteran incurred bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a supplemental opinion from an examiner regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for fungal infection of the left ear and hearing loss. The examiner is to consider the Veteran's reports of in-service noise exposure and treatment for left ear problems.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are attributable to in-service acoustic trauma, resulting in a favorable decision for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for further evaluation of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss in the left ear and tinnitus were denied because there is no current evidence of a current condition. The Board found that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen these claims, but due to lack of competent medical evidence showing a current disability, the preponderance of the evidence remains against the claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus present, including whether they are related to service. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be resolved prior to addressing his claim for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted, as the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's hearing loss was caused by noise exposure during service or post-service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a current VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death, leading to dementia and ultimately renal failure. The claim of entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with the opinion being in favor of a direct relationship to his military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently manifested bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by acoustic trauma sustained during active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as his disability did not warrant a higher evaluation than the current 10 percent.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is found to be related to service, while his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown by competent evidence to be etiologically related to service.