Hearing loss decisions — 2012

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not causally related to active service. The threshold shift in his hearing acuity during service is noted to have improved later, and the examiner opined against a finding of a causal relationship between his current hearing loss and service.

The Board granted an increased rating of 40 percent for the service-connected lumbar spine disability with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, effective July 24, 2012. The earlier effective date for major depressive disorder was also granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (tinnitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and left ear hearing loss) do not render him incapable of obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a lack of compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a 70 percent rating for PTSD. The low back disorder and TDIU claims are remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable under the VA rating schedule. The evidence does not show that his hearing loss is due to service, and no exceptional pattern of hearing impairment was found.

The Board has remanded the case to schedule a Travel Board hearing due to non-receipt of notice for a previously scheduled hearing. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and his request to reopen service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's heart disability did not have onset during active service or within one year of separation for active service, and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a heart disability was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide the Veteran with a new VA examination for his hearing loss and tinnitus claims. The peripheral neuropathy claim will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 12, 2009 for the grant of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as he did not submit a formal claim prior to that date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, concluding that his current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected as his current hearing loss does not meet VA criteria for a disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to conflicting medical evidence and a need for an adequate VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the need for an audiologist's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness prior to the Board's decision.

The Board found no evidence of a current ratable hearing loss disability and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and multiple myeloma. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and multiple myeloma are being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed due to untimely filing. The initial rating claims for left knee strain, right knee strain, degenerative disc disease of the lower back, and cervical spondylotic changes are still pending.