Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board finds that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no credible evidence of in-service injury or disease. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA audiological examination. The issue of whether the Veteran can secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his left ear hearing loss will also be addressed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the combined impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and there is no evidence of tinnitus in service or within one year after separation. The preponderance of the evidence supports the conclusion that his current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss, claiming it was caused by a land mine bomb during basic training. The Board has ordered remand to obtain an addendum opinion from the VA examiner regarding the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including noise exposure during active duty. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the previous opinions are insufficient.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss has been granted. The issue of entitlement to a compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss is pending, and the TDIU claim will be referred for extraschedular consideration if deemed necessary.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as non-compensable, with the most probative evidence indicating Level III hearing loss in one ear and Level II in the other.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU rating is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's death was caused by hemorrhagic stroke due to chronic hypertension. The appellant claims that the cause of death may have been diabetes mellitus type II, which is presumed related to Agent Orange exposure. However, service connection cannot be granted on a presumptive basis for hypertension or hemorrhagic stroke as they are not among the diseases linked to Agent Orange exposure. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether diabetes mellitus caused or contributed to the Veteran's death and if his hypertension was related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and an official copy of the Veteran's Form DD-214.

The Veteran claims his current bilateral hearing loss is related to military service, specifically in-service noise exposure. The March 2010 VA examination and opinion are inadequate for deciding the claim due to deficiencies such as failure to discuss conversion of audiometric results from ASA units to ISO-ANSI units or provide an explanation for 'improved' hearing acuity.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including a new VA audiological examination and a statement of the case regarding service connection for bladder cancer.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development, including a VA medical evaluation to assess the combined impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to hazardous noise.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and headache disabilities was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The Board found that the Veteran did not have sufficient hearing impairment to qualify as a disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.