Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during his service in Vietnam, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found no evidence of a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral knee disorder. The Veteran's claims were not based on any presumption or secondary service connection.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes, as his audiometric testing has consistently shown normal hearing acuity. The Board finds that service connection is not warranted.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as no new and material evidence was received, despite the Veteran's reports of noise exposure during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus and his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service combat noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating, as his hearing acuity is currently rated at level IV and level III for each ear combined.

The Board has determined that the submitted new evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate any of the Veteran's claims for service connection. As such, the claims are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete information in the medical records, including a lack of review of the service separation examination report. A new VA audiological examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not caused by or related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional examination. The Veteran's hearing loss is being reviewed in light of his conceded noise exposure during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, a bilateral eye disorder, a sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea), and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to deficiencies in the February 2011 VA compensation examiner's opinion, and further development is needed.

The Board found no evidence of a current right ear hearing loss disability under VA standards and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss. For left ear hearing loss, the Board noted that while there was an audiogram showing hearing loss within one year after separation from service, it did not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. The Board also found no evidence of a current tinnitus disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss of his left ear resulted in a noncompensable evaluation as it did not meet the criteria for any higher rating based on the severity of his hearing impairment.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a more detailed opinion from the VA audiologist regarding whether his current hearing loss is related to his period of active duty training.

The Veteran's death was caused by mechanical chest compression, and the Board found that his service-connected bilateral hearing loss substantially contributed to his death. Therefore, the appeal for service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the applicable schedular criteria.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes.