Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The appellant has withdrawn his appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for compensation under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 1151 for a left ear disability resulting from VA treatment was also denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The claim is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA medical opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or other causative factors. The current conditions are more likely due to natural aging (presbycusis) rather than military service.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for right ear hearing loss, which she claims was caused by noise exposure during her military service. The case has been remanded to provide a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of her current hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, as evidenced by puretone threshold averages of 56.25 dB in the right ear and 50 dB in the left ear with corresponding speech recognition abilities of 86% and 82%, does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The VA examiner found no nexus between the Veteran's hearing loss and active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining an addendum from the VA examiner and requesting relevant medical records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to active service and was denied.

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

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss during or within one year after service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss is not at least as likely as not caused by military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claim of service connection for hearing loss, including consideration of secondary service connection due to tinnitus.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension, disability manifested by blood in stool, and bilateral hearing loss are related to his military service due to noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or adaptive equipment, and for an earlier effective date for service connection are denied as he does not meet the eligibility criteria based on his current service-connected conditions.

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

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, both for accrued benefits purposes. The Veteran's in-service hearing loss is noted but no current disability was found at the time of death.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left arm disorder, ear disorder (to include hearing loss), nervous system disorder, or speech disorder that is related to his active service. As such, the claims for these conditions were denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new medical opinion regarding whether his preexisting hearing loss worsened during service.