Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board found no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the Veteran did not experience these conditions during his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, including the potential need to obtain VA treatment records from California.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent disabling for diabetes mellitus type II with onychomycosis, erectile dysfunction, and nephropathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development due to changes in his condition since the last examination, including an increase in PTSD symptoms and hearing loss.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be etiologically related to his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a personal hearing. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and microalbuminuria are pending.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is not related to his military service, as evidenced by normal hearing at separation and no shift in hearing levels during service. The evidence does not support a finding of noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of frostbite of the lower extremities are all found to be related to service. The Veteran is granted an initial 30 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and it is now warranted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acoustic neuroma, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to inadequacies in the previous VA examination. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected otitis externa.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied the remaining issues on appeal. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his left ear hearing loss and tinnitus. Additionally, a VA examination will be scheduled to assess how the Veteran's service-connected disabilities collectively affect his employability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated. The VA examiner concluded that it was less likely than not that current hearing loss and tinnitus were related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of this issue.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of cold injury to the feet and toes. The claim for service connection is granted as direct service connection can be established based on evidence showing a relationship between the conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to initial, compensable ratings for right ear hearing loss and right hallux valgus deformity are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional VA treatment records and schedule a videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in either ear, and therefore cannot establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss. Service connection is also denied for tinnitus as there is no evidence of its occurrence during service or within one year post-service. The remaining issues are not addressed due to lack of claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as review the claims file for compliance with the remand directives.