Hearing loss decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not exist prior to service and was not aggravated by service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current hearing loss does not meet the criteria for any level of impairment greater than Level I, which corresponds to noncompensable ratings.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder, has been reopened. The Board also remanded the issues of bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus for additional development.

The Board finds that the Veteran currently has hearing loss in his left ear, which began during his military service. However, there is no evidence of a current disability in his right ear for VA purposes.

The Veteran's right knee disorder and bilateral hearing loss prior to January 17, 2012 were not service connected.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is etiologically related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was incurred during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a disability rating greater than 10 percent prior to January 27, 2009, and greater than 20 percent thereafter, for low back pain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and a compensable initial rating for right ear hearing loss, as well as the Veteran's claims for erectile dysfunction and short-term memory loss, dizziness, confusion, and low energy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, and sleep apnea.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred in service, with no aggravation during service. Therefore, both conditions are granted as service-connected.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his active duty service, as there was no evidence of a chronic disease in service or for many years after service. The Board denied both claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a right hip disorder due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since March 7, 2009. The evidence does not support a higher rating for any period.

The Veteran's depression, tinnitus, and hearing loss are all found to be related to his military service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was incurred during his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have first manifested during active duty service and has persisted since that time, granting the claim for service connection.

The evidence does not support a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's right ear hearing loss.