Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a link between current symptoms and service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The Veteran is granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, but denied right ear hearing loss.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inconsistencies in audiometry results and the need for a more thorough examination.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service, and the Board found no evidence of chronic symptoms in service or continuous symptoms since service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim. The left eye disability issue is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection. The left ear hearing loss and tinnitus claims are addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for new examinations.

The Board's April 20, 1983 decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss is overturned due to clear and unmistakable error. The Veteran was presumed to have incurred acoustic trauma in service and had a chronic hearing loss that persisted post-service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were previously denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The Board finds that the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate any of the claims.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability is manifested by an average puretone decibel loss of 33 in the right ear and 45 in the left ear, with speech discrimination scores of 96% and 84%, respectively. The VA examiner found that these findings do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service or any in-service injury. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right knee disability have been denied as secondary to his service-connected varicose veins.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and posttraumatic headaches do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 30, 2001 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability cannot be substantiated as a matter of law.

The Veteran's service-connected benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) warrants a maximum rating of 60 percent, the highest available under VA regulations. The Board also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and granted TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's essential tremor is not related to his service-connected PTSD and denied his claim for secondary service connection. The issue of right ear hearing loss remains pending as there are insufficient records to determine its onset during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently manifested bilateral hearing loss did not have a chronic and continuous onset during service, nor is it etiologically related to his period of active military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's service in an artillery unit as a gunner. The claim will be reconsidered after further research is completed.

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

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a Statement of the Case regarding the initial compensable disability rating for service-connected sensorineural hearing loss of the left ear.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate medical opinion and failure to consider his credible assertions of in-service noise exposure. The case is being returned to the RO/AMC for further development.