Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to additional development being necessary, including scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from August 11, 2008. The Veteran's claim for higher ratings prior to that date remains denied.

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

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and headaches, both of which he claims are due to exposure to hazardous materials/environmental conditions during service. The Board has remanded the case for additional development including obtaining updated treatment records and addendum opinions from VA examiners.

The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hyperlipidemia and hypertension, as well as his claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to April 30, 2010. The Veteran's GERD was granted a 20 percent disability rating effective September 30, 2004, but the Board found that it did not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot ulcers is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted based on a finding that it is at least as likely as not related to service, specifically noise exposure during military training.

The Board found that the reduction of the assigned rating for the service-connected bilateral hearing loss from 20 percent to 0 percent was proper. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating prior to January 26, 2012 and a rating in excess of 10 percent as of January 26, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected and granted service connection. For his bilateral hearing loss, the Board found no evidence of a compensable rating as his current disability level does not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including consideration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to November 4, 2008.

The Board has granted service connection for a perforated right tympanic membrane, chronic right otitis media, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims are now complete.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, a respiratory disability (claimed as asthma), residuals of a head injury, vertigo, chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent dermatitis, and hysterectomy residuals. The reasons provided include lack of evidence supporting these conditions during or after service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. However, the appeal regarding increased ratings for gunshot wounds of the chest, left upper and lower extremities, and right upper extremity as well as residuals of a healed fracture of the right ankle has not progressed to a final decision.,The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder claim was withdrawn prior to the Board's consideration.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not have a left ear hearing loss disability and his service-connected left knee, elbow, and cubital tunnel syndromes do not meet the criteria for an initial rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected conditions warranted a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including atrial fibrillation, chemical burns of both eyes, low back sprain, bilateral hearing loss, Raynaud's Syndrome, right ear otitis media, and ocular keratitis. The evidence did not demonstrate current disabilities related to these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be incurred in active service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The Board also finds that the Veteran has a current skin disorder related to his in-service rashes, as well as an enlarged prostate gland related to his in-service problems with urination.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing left-ear hearing loss did not undergo an increase in severity during service and thus, denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal of the denial of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing and clarification regarding representation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are consistent with tinnitus and at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. The claim for right ear hearing loss is pending due to conflicting medical opinions regarding its etiology.