Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if any respiratory disorders are related to service.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus need further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and evidence. The Veteran's claims are being remanded to allow for these steps.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted it, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support a nexus between current hearing loss and military noise exposure.

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

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not causally related to his active duty service, either by incurrence during service or by aggravation of any preexisting hearing loss disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's testimony alone is sufficient to establish a link between his current condition and military noise exposure. The claim of bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew it prior to decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including right ear hearing loss and psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are being remanded due to incomplete service records and need for further medical examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities, as well as whether they are related to service. The Veteran's claims for service connection will be remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination to assess the severity of his left ear hearing loss, as it has worsened since his last evaluation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no competent evidence showing that his current conditions are related to his active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current level of bilateral hearing loss does not meet the definition of a disability for VA compensation purposes, thus denying service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim. The preponderance of the evidence showed no link between his current diagnoses and military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues and is requesting further action from the RO.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete evidence, including a lack of relevant military records from his Army Reserve period. The case will be returned to the RO/AMC for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, prostate cancer residuals, and erectile dysfunction was denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss in accordance with VA standards.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete information in the VA examination report. The Veteran's history of noise exposure during military service is consistent with his current symptoms, but the VA examiner did not consider this history when providing an opinion.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new examination.