Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is not shown to be manifested by puretone threshold averages and speech recognition scores that translate to higher than Level III designations for either ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted as there is credible medical evidence of current hearing acuity that meets the VA criteria for a disability and competent and credible lay evidence of the onset of a loss of hearing acuity in service with a continuity of symptoms after service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss in service and no post-service continuity of symptoms. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at a 10% evaluation, effective from the date of claim. The Veteran's hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus was not granted as service connected.

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

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examination and the need for further development of his hearing loss and tinnitus claims.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability and chronic tinnitus have been withdrawn. The appeal for service connection for chronic head injury residuals is being remanded.

The Board has ordered the Veteran to be scheduled for an appropriate examination to determine the current condition of his service-connected right ear hearing loss, including its impact on daily life. The matter is REMANDED for this purpose.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, including noise exposure in Vietnam. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that his hearing loss was incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disability are found to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, which is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as it was incurred in service due to a stressor. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of noise exposure during service and the current condition is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no current evidence of a hearing loss disability meeting VA compensation criteria. The claims for pulmonary and sleep apnea disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on VA examination results.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA regulations.,There is no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability during service or within one year thereafter, and there is significant evidence against such a finding.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inconsistencies in his employment history and the need for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if he is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unemployable, and his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus meet the schedular criteria for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability. However, his claim is denied as he does not have sufficient additional disabilities to bring his combined rating to 70 percent.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus and hepatitis C.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to lack of timely filing of a notice of disagreement for the denial of service connection for degenerative disc disease. The Veteran's claims for other conditions were denied as they are not compensable under VA regulations.