Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The case is now remanded for de novo review.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as they were likely due to age-related progressive hearing loss and noise exposure from work after service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss has not worsened to warrant a higher evaluation, as his audiometric test results have been inconsistent and unreliable.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a more contemporaneous VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and for obtaining any pertinent medical records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current disabilities are not related to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate etiology opinions and failure to address specific information in the remand directives.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and peritonsillar abscess and tonsillitis, finding that there is no current disability meeting VA criteria for a hearing loss disability or evidence of an in-service event resulting in these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder, tinnitus, and hearing loss disability render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board grants the TDIU claim with resolution of reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his military service due to exposure to noise during combat.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be service-connected. The right ear hearing loss does not meet VA's regulatory definition of hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to include obtaining medical records, scheduling VA examinations, and readjudicating the claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded as the VA examiner did not address whether there is a medically sound basis upon which to attribute the post-service findings to the injury in service, as opposed to intercurrent causes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his heart disease and lupus, are considered to have played a role in contributing to the cause of death from acute myelocytic leukemia (AML).

The Veteran's claim of service connection for left-ear hearing loss was denied in October 1958, but his claim of service connection for tinnitus was granted. The effective date for the award of service connection for tinnitus is set at February 12, 1958.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for left-ear hearing loss was not granted and an earlier effective date is not warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private audiometry records, arranging for an updated medical opinion from the January 2012 VA examiner (or another if unavailable), and considering Savage v. Shinseki when readjudicating his increased rating claim.