Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and his tinnitus is less likely caused by service. The claim of increased rating for left shoulder disability meets criteria for a 30% rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and dysthymic disorder) and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The Board found no current disabilities, and the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. The VA examiner's opinion is that the current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability was unrelated to service, but acknowledges the Veteran's statements about symptoms of impaired hearing during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss requires additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and seeking non-VA medical records. The case will be remanded to allow for these actions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent throughout the appeal period, and service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The issues of hearing loss and TDIU remain unresolved.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it was not addressed by the VA examiner.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, nor may sensorineural hearing loss be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are considered less likely as not permanently aggravated by his service ear infection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus are service-connected, but his right ear hearing loss is not. The claims for service connection for these conditions have been granted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss did not increase in severity during service and that there was no evidence of left ear hearing loss or tinnitus. The decision also noted that the Veteran had experienced acoustic trauma while serving as a chaparral missile crewman.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The issue of chloracne was withdrawn by the Veteran before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to military noise exposure and the Board has denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations.

The Veteran has current bilateral hearing loss that was incurred as a result of noise exposure during his military service. The Board grants the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure, as the Veteran did not have a current disability and there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The other issues were also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability of this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been granted, with an effective date of May 4, 2010. The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection has not been met.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure, and his bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Board finds that a preponderance of the evidence is against the appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and denies the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, which represents a complete grant of the benefit sought on appeal. As such, no discussion of VA's duty to notify and assist is necessary.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the numeric designation of hearing impairment based on puretone threshold average and speech discrimination did not result in a compensable rating.