Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally related to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he did not have a diagnosed disability.,For PTSD, the Veteran received an initial rating of 30 percent prior to May 1, 2013 and increased to 50 percent since that date.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim and found that new evidence supports a finding of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The examiner concluded that the Veteran's current hearing loss is more likely related to his military head injury than noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, as his current diagnoses were not noted during service.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The low back disorder is found to have had its onset during active duty, while the bilateral hearing loss does not meet the definition of a disability as defined by VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus began during active service. The issue of bilateral hearing loss is addressed in the REMAND portion and is being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to acoustic trauma during service and requires an additional VA examination to determine if his current hearing loss and tinnitus disorders are related to this exposure.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided. The Veteran's assertions of in-service noise exposure are being considered, along with any post-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current level of hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to inadequate examination and incomplete information from the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA's rating schedule.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions did not have their clinical onset in service or are otherwise related to active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current conditions did not meet the regulatory criteria for a compensable disability. The VA audiological examinations conducted in March 2008 and July 2012 established that the Veteran had normal hearing during active duty, and there was no evidence of onset or aggravation of these conditions during service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was initially found to be noncompensable prior to February 26, 2013. From that date, the disability warranted a 20% rating.

The Board finds that the Veteran has a current hearing loss disability of the left ear that developed as a result of his active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for an etiology opinion regarding his right ear hearing loss and potential impact on his left ear hearing loss claim.