Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, including noise exposure. As a result, the claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities and the collection of outstanding medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling appropriate examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and for obtaining recent VA outpatient treatment records from March 2009 to the present.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of current disability or a link to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his military service. The criteria for an initial compensable rating have not been met.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, specifically due to a psychogenic component noted in his records. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left ear hearing loss, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, skin disability, bladder disability, kidney disability, liver disability, headaches, hypertension, and GERD. The decision did not address any presumptive exposure to herbicides or other specific exposures.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Appellant needs further examination and opinion regarding his claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, hypertension, and prostate disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain these necessary evaluations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence supports a nexus between the two conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically whether it is related to service. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination and his claims will be readjudicated.

The Veteran requested withdrawal of his appeal for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, and the Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's effective date for additional dependency allowance for his spouse is denied as he did not provide proof of dependents within one year of notification.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA examination and consideration of an earlier effective date for the hearing loss disability. The Veteran's appeal is currently pending.

The Board denied service connection for a hearing loss disability of the right ear and for arthritis of the cervical spine. The issue regarding a compensable rating for otitis media of the left ear is remanded.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service. The VA examination indicated that any hearing loss and tinnitus were more likely due to noise exposure after service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure, granting service connection for both conditions.