Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused or contributed substantially or materially by his service-connected disabilities, including his status post traumatic hemothorax of the right lung with retained foreign bodies and his face and back scars.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for back strain, and TDIU have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and need for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a single VA examination to assess the impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his ability to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not occur during his service and was not aggravated by his service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are attributable to service, granting his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, residuals of fracture of the left great toe, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder strain, and lumbar spine strain have been granted. The initial ratings assigned are noncompensable.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and finds that new evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss is related to his military service. However, there is no evidence to support a finding that he incurred tinnitus during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, to include as a result of Agent Orange exposure, increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are being remanded due to scheduling of a videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant's authorized representative, thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of the medical record to determine if his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure. The examiner must provide a clear opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that these conditions are due to service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his in-service noise exposure, and the Board finds that service connection should be granted.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus meet the criteria for a TDIU as they are of common etiology, with combined evaluations meeting the minimum schedular requirements. The Board finds that the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his active duty military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his in-service acoustic trauma, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable for the period of the appeal. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.