Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to loud noise from artillery. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of in-service noise exposure and concluded that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus. The issues on appeal are whether service connection should be granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor. The issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examiner with an opinion on the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be service-connected as they were incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability and PTSD were denied. The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was rated as noncompensable, while his PTSD warranted a rating of 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate VA examination and incomplete rationale.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not related to his active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and is related to noise exposure, thus granting service connection for tinnitus. The claim for bilateral hearing loss will be remanded as the VA examination was inadequate.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral hip disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The increased rating claim for left knee instability was also denied.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 80 percent, which satisfies the statutory requirements for TDIU. However, the weight of medical opinion and other evidence indicates that his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment after February 2012.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and hearing loss disability were denied, while his claim for TDIU was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is attributable to service and granted service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine if his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for medical examinations to assess the Veteran's claimed disabilities.