Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo were not found to be related to his military service.,A rating in excess of the assigned evaluations for peptic ulcer disease was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have a direct relationship to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or symptoms during service. The claims for service connection were therefore denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, hearing loss, amputation of the right index finger, diabetes mellitus type II with renal insufficiency, erectile dysfunction, and scar from CABG, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that his TDIU is warranted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a request for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO. The appeal is not yet decided on its merits.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board found that there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or other conditions related to active duty service.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no in-service injury or disease and no current disability. The Board also noted that the Veteran did not provide credible evidence of continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with pure tone thresholds at each of the specified frequencies ranging from 23.75 to 40 decibels in both ears.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and bilateral pes planus.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's appeal on the issue of entitlement to service connection for a lower back disability due to withdrawal by the appellant. The VA audiological test results do not show right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus is related to acoustic trauma incurred in service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen a claim for entitlement to service connection for lipomas. The remaining issues of compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by service and is not presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to noise during service. The VA examiner determined that any current hearing loss in the left ear preexisted service, and there were no significant changes noted during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred as a result of events during active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently manifested bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are due to noise exposure during his honorable period of active service from October 29, 1956 to March 21, 1965. As such, these claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the Veteran's rating for bilateral hearing loss from 70% to 10% was proper, and he is now rated at 30% effective March 28, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (right ear hearing loss, sinusitis, rhinitis) are rated as zero percent in combination and do not meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's cholesteatoma of the left ear is caused or aggravated by his service-connected hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, including exposure to loud noises during combat in Vietnam. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.