Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the request for withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant treatment records and conducting a review of the Veteran's claims file. The claim will be readjudicated after this process.

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

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and cold injury residuals, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has found that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to active service, and therefore grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during his periods of Marine and Air Force service. As a result, the claims for service connection for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service. The claim of entitlement to service connection for buttocks lesions was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right hip, left hip, right knee scars, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted. The effective date is November 2006.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and discussion of whether a separate evaluation is warranted for an alternative ear disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral eye disorders and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU. With full consideration of his educational background and occupational experience, the Board finds that the Veteran is precluded from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including bilateral upper extremity and left lower extremity numbness, were denied. The Board found that there was no competent evidence of a current disability related to these conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his period of active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied, and his initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was found to warrant a 100% evaluation effective from November 21, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is a result of noise exposure during his military service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 60 percent, effective August 29, 2011. This rating is based on the pure tone threshold averages of 83.75 dB in both ears and speech recognition scores of 44 percent.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied due to lack of a current diagnosis meeting DSM-IV criteria. The claim for hearing loss is reopened, but service connection remains denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder disability, and left foot disability as new and material evidence was not received. The claim of service connection for sleep apnea is also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and clarifying whether the Veteran is receiving Social Security Administration benefits. The RO/AMC will then re-adjudicate his claim for an increased compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from July 19, 2010 to July 20, 2010 at The Nebraska Medical Center were not covered by VA as the treatment was not authorized in advance and did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725.