Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to in-service noise exposure. As such, service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be established.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to his active service, including significant in-service acoustic trauma from rifle and machine gun fire. The claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinion and consideration of in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim should be reconsidered on a secondary basis to his service-connected tinnitus. The case is REMANDED for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with notice of what evidence he needs to provide and what VA will obtain.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service. The decision also notes conflicting opinions of VA audiologists but affirms the positive nexus opinion from a private audiologist.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the relationship between his pulmonary disability and hearing loss, including consideration of service exposure. The claims will be reconsidered following this development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and service connection for PTSD. The effective dates were not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 50 percent since July 2009. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as his hearing impairment is no more than Level VIII bilaterally, which corresponds to a 50% rating.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is found to be related to his active duty service, while the non-sensorineural component of his hearing loss (left tympanic membrane dysfunction and fluid in the left middle ear) is not.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing and issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC) regarding his increased disability rating for Reiter's syndrome.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since March 6, 2006. The Board finds that the evidence does not warrant a compensable rating at any time during the appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence showing in-service acoustic trauma or chronic symptoms within one year post-service. The VA examiner diagnosed bilateral hearing loss but not tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability and an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 40% prior to February 20, 2013, and at 70% effective from that date.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, bilateral foot disorder (pes planus), and bilateral knee disorders have been denied. His hypertension has been granted a compensable rating of 40%. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is not found in the decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain relevant VA treatment records and to provide the Veteran with a medical examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to address the current severity of his service-connected left ear hearing loss, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability. The Veteran also needs a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. However, after a thorough review of the evidence, including VA audiometric examinations and private treatment records, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during or as a result of active military service. Therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's claims due to incomplete service treatment records and unavailability of medical records from his incarceration. The case is REMANDED for these actions.