Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise on all material elements of both claims, and thus service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for treatment at Faith Regional Health Services and NE Nebraska Cardiology Consultants were not authorized by VA, and the criteria for reimbursement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725 were not met.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, heart condition (coronary atherosclerosis status post angioplasty), colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence received since the November 2001 denial is considered new and material.,VA will obtain treatment records from the VA dated after November 2010 and associate them with the claims file.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition and left wrist disability are service connected, but denied his claims for hearing loss in the right ear and lump on head.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and chloracne, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, are denied. The Board finds no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that would support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were denied, as the evidence did not show current disabilities. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis was rated at 20% and his lumbar spinal degenerative arthritis with spondylosis and central stenosis was rated at 10%. These ratings are maintained.

The Veteran's hearing loss is not considered severe enough to warrant a compensable rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board found no current diagnosis of malaria or residuals thereof, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was remanded but not fully addressed in the July 2013 VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric, hearing loss, and tinnitus conditions. The claims will be further developed with additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and TDIU claims.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss was aggravated by service, and she is granted service connection for tinnitus. However, her right ear hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board found no evidence of current peripheral neuropathy or right ear hearing loss, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not have onset during service or within one year of separation, and are not otherwise related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence is against finding direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and headaches are related to his service. As such, these conditions have been granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability, evaluated as bilateral Level II hearing impairment with speech recognition scores ranging from 84 to 96, does not meet the criteria for a higher initial compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeal for right ear hearing loss was withdrawn. The claim for left knee disability has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence, but service connection remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of service dates and periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA), as well as a VA examination to determine if any pre-existing conditions were aggravated by service. The Veteran's hearing loss and right knee disorder are both considered direct service connection cases.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for laryngeal cancer, status post partial laryngectomy, is denied. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a higher rating as his symptoms do not more nearly approximate hoarseness with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with auditory acuity levels I in the right ear and IV in the left ear. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of his claimed residuals of perforated tympanic membrane of the left ear and to evaluate the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.