Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service records and need for further medical examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a current disability related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his attempt to reopen a previously denied claim for PTSD. The decision also remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to hazardous noise exposure during active service, warranting service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during service, and his hypertension is not presumed due to herbicide exposure. The claim for service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of left ear hearing loss, right shoulder tendonitis, or right knee tendonitis. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to his exposure to hazardous noise levels during service, warranting service connection. The lung cancer claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and a current VA audiology examination to assess his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss did not increase in severity during service and denied his claim for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability resulting from disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to properly assess the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus, as the current examination report does not contain sufficient detail or consider all relevant evidence of record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, and therefore his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and sleep apnea, as well as his claim for an increased rating for PTSD. The Board found that there was no evidence of chronic hearing loss in service or continuity of symptomatology after service, and thus could not establish service connection based on direct service connection. For sleep apnea, the appeal is pending and remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was rated as noncompensable (0%) prior to April 19, 2012. From April 19, 2012 to November 8, 2012, the disability was rated at 30%. As of November 9, 2012, it was rated at 50%.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was initially rated at 10 percent prior to April 3, 2009. From that date until April 2, 2009, the Veteran received a staged initial rating of 40 percent. The current appeal seeks an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the period from July 26, 2005 to April 2, 2009.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by active service, and there is no credible evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or asbestosis, and thus, service connection for these conditions cannot be established.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a higher rating, as VA audiometric testing performed in September and December 2009 produced unreliable results on both initial testing and retesting. Therefore, an increased rating is denied.