Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including obtaining service personnel records to determine if the Veteran served as a Fire Control Technician Gunnery.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to the need for an opinion regarding whether his bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to service, specifically noise exposure. The claims will be returned after further review.

The Veteran's request to withdraw his claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus has been granted.,New and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability. These conditions are found to have had their onset during active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, both individually and as a whole, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The case is REMANDED for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been withdrawn. The remaining claims of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation benefits are being remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for vertigo and a noncompensable rating for hearing loss. The Veteran's hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensably disabling, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his military service, including significant noise exposure during his various occupational specialties.

The Board has determined that the VA audiological examinations are inadequate for adjudicating the Veteran's claims and additional examination is needed. The Veteran served in Vietnam and had a military occupational specialty as a flight equipment man, which likely exposed him to noise during service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. The VA examiner found the current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability unrelated to service, but additional evidence from post-service civilian employment may affect this determination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including anxiety disorder, sinusitis, retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee, tinnitus, and limitation of extension of the right knee, have rendered him unemployable. The Board finds that his TDIU is granted.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is inadequate and remanded for further action. The case is now being returned to the RO for adjudication.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that his combined disability rating of 90% supports the grant of TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is causally related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. However, there is no evidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma being incurred in or aggravated by service, nor can it be presumed due to exposure to herbicides. The neuropathy claim is also denied as the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis related to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or any significant threshold shifts during service. The medical opinions provided do not support a connection between current hearing loss and tinnitus and service.

The Board found that there is no evidence of hearing loss in the right ear during service and that current right ear hearing loss may not be presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to acoustic trauma. The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss was attributed to natural aging process rather than service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of continuous symptoms since active duty. The VA examinations did not support a direct relationship between his military noise exposure and current hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since October 31, 2002. The VA examiner found the Veteran had level I hearing in both ears at his December 2012 examination, which corresponds to a noncompensable evaluation under Table VII of the rating schedule.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of his claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.