Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and his tinnitus is not related to service, including noise exposure. Therefore, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an increased rating for PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between the condition and active service. The RO denied his claim for PTSD, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 50 percent.,The claims for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities were reopened based on new evidence received since the last denial in February 2007.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his service, as there was no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a nexus between his current conditions and service. The preponderance of the evidence did not support the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by his military noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, tinnitus, and hearing loss) render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board finds the evidence in equipoise as to whether his PTSD symptoms prevent him from securing and following such employment.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that his disability does not warrant a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as initial compensable evaluations for migraines. The evidence did not show that the Veteran experienced prostrating attacks of migraines prior to October 28, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of evidence regarding the Veteran's left ear hearing loss. The claim will be returned for further examination and determination.

The Veteran's asthma and right ear hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is caused in part by an ACDUTRA and/or INACDUTRA acoustic trauma injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not manifested by worse than a Level IV hearing loss in the right ear and a Level II hearing loss in the left ear, resulting in a denial of his claim for an initial compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records, including those from a private ENT and VA providers. The claim will be reconsidered after the new evidence is obtained.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and needs further development before a final decision can be made.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including review of the claims file by a psychologist and consideration of an additional statement submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, at its worst, was rated as 50 percent disabling beginning November 29, 2012. Prior to this date, the disability had been rated noncompensable.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, pituitary testicular disorder and vertigo have been denied as they are not related to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection has been denied for diabetes mellitus due to lack of evidence linking it to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Glaucoma, pituitary testicular disorder and vertigo were also not found to be directly related to service.