Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss, headache disability, cervical spine disorder, and visual impairment are not related to his service from September 1981 to September 1985.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not shown to have been present during his military service or for many years thereafter, and it is not shown to be the result of any incident therein. Therefore, the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a right knee MCL tear, finding that his current condition is likely related to in-service injury. The hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy claims are denied as not related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical evaluations and records, as well as further consideration of his claims.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The claim for an increased rating for right shoulder degenerative joint disease, status post arthroscopy from June 24, 2008 to April 6, 2009 has also been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and private medical records. A VA examination will be conducted to assess his bilateral hearing loss and spinal stenosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is as likely as not incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

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

The Veteran's foot disability and bilateral hearing loss were evaluated, but the RO found that neither condition warranted a higher rating than what was initially assigned.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not have onset during service, were not caused by active service, and did not manifest within one year of separation from active service. Therefore, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a more recent VA examination and updated medical records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional audiometric testing.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability meeting VA criteria and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For tinnitus, the Veteran's testimony regarding in-service noise exposure was not supported by medical records or audiometric test results, leading to denial of service connection.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, but the Board has not yet determined whether they are well-grounded. The case is being remanded to obtain an opinion from a VA otologist regarding the nature and etiology of his mixed hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been manifested by numeric designations no greater than Level III for the right ear and no greater than Level III for the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The criteria for establishing entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss has been denied as he does not currently have a disability in his right ear that meets the VA criteria for a hearing loss disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service. The preponderance of the evidence supported the denial.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin in service or within one year of separation from active duty, and are not related to his military service. Therefore, the claims for service connection have been denied.