Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, specifically due to acoustic trauma. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's request for a Travel Board hearing. The issues of service connection for hearing loss and reopening the claim for hypertension remain unresolved.

The Veteran's tinnitus is causally-related to his service-connected hearing loss, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and evidence regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of right knee injury. The original rating decision denied these claims, but the appeal remains pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disabilities are rated as noncompensable under VA regulations. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The skin rash of the groin and crotch area, rosacea on the face, knee disorders, dizziness, headaches, night sweats, and hearing loss are not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for hypertension and prostate cancer. The Veteran's current hypertension is not related to active service, while his prostate cancer is not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar degenerative disc disease, left knee disability (status post surgery), and left ear hearing loss were denied. The RO assigned initial disability evaluations of 20%, 10%, and none respectively.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability are found to be related to his military service, while the skin disorder is not. The Veteran was granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including verification of stressors and audiometric evaluations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and its functional effects on his daily activities and occupational functioning.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the denial of service connection for hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral knee disability (other than gout), as well as his claim for an initial compensable rating for hypertension. The Veteran did not have sufficient evidence to establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, specifically his exposure to loud noise while in service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability evaluation, as his audiometric results do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's schedular guidelines.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding no credible evidence of a link between his current hearing disability and military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes. The Veteran's currently manifested left ear hearing loss first manifested many years after service and is not causally related to event(s) during his military service. Tinnitus had its onset during active service. There is evidence of sleep problems during military service, competent medical evidence of a current diagnosis of sleep apnea, and competent allegations of continuity of sleep problems beginning during service to the present.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, Keratosis pilaris of the upper arms, and Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis of the lower legs and lower abdomen are granted. Migraine headaches were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.