Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is likely related to his in-service exposure to loud noises during service, particularly given his military occupational specialty and location of service. As such, the claim for service connection was granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not establish that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and basal cell carcinoma on the left side of the nose. The claims are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was granted, with staged ratings for different time periods. The initial evaluation prior to August 13, 2010, was denied; from August 13, 2010, to November 14, 2011, a 10 percent evaluation was assigned; and since November 15, 2011, a 50 percent evaluation has been granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, which together meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back disability were denied. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for migraine headaches was remanded.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability were denied as the evidence did not support a current diagnosis or a link to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is attributable to his military service and grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left knee and low back disabilities were previously denied in February 2003. New evidence submitted since then is not considered material as it does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran asserts that he is entitled to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for hearing loss, which was granted in January 2008 with a rating of 40 percent and effective from January 30, 2007. The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to missing evidence and documents.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's De Quervain's disease of the right wrist manifested during active military service and is therefore granted service connection. However, there is no evidence of current hearing loss or tinnitus to support service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination of his bilateral hearing loss, as the last one was four years old and he claims it has worsened.

The Board found that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not manifest as a result of noise exposure during his active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in the Army National Guard (ARNG), and thus denied service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is being remanded due to incomplete information and the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's claim is supported by competent evidence of a current disability (tinnitus), medical evidence linking it to in-service acoustic trauma, and credible lay testimony. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to incomplete development.

The Board has granted a 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left ankle disability, finding it to be moderately severe. The issue of service connection for right ear hearing loss was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to decision.

The Board has found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is etiologically related to hazardous noise exposure sustained in active service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including arthritis, left hand disorder, left ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, eye disorder, and right hand cyst, are not related to service. The preponderance of evidence is against these claims.