Hearing loss decisions — 2013

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely related to in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated at 100% effective August 23, 2010. The appeal for a TDIU is dismissed as the maximum schedular rating has been assigned.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and the other issues on appeal. The Veteran's asthma was incurred coincident with her military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and tinnitus, do not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to April 5, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a VA examination and consideration of whether extraschedular referral is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical opinions and ensuring all relevant evidence has been considered.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current disabilities are at least as likely as not due to exposure to noise during active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable prior to April 17, 2013 and at 20 percent from that date. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.,For tinnitus, the Veteran is currently assigned a single 10% evaluation which is the maximum authorized under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6260.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of a hearing disability during service and the first post-service objective evidence of hearing loss was more than 35 years after discharge. The VA medical opinions against the claim were given greater weight due to their thorough review of the record.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and arranging for VA examinations.

The Veteran has bilateral hearing loss that is as likely as not related to his active duty service. The Board finds in favor of the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise on whether the Veteran's tinnitus arose during active service and continued to the present.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically due to exposure to loud noise during active duty. As a result, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis disabilities, which are rated as noncompensable individually, now allow for a single 10% evaluation under VA regulations when multiple service-connected disabilities interfere with employment.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure the Veteran receives every possible consideration, including obtaining missing service treatment records and arranging for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he did not submit a valid claim within one year after separation from service and no new and material evidence was submitted to reopen his claim.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied by the RO, and he is not entitled to a compensable rating.