Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is service-connected, as it was aggravated in service. The issue of a right knee condition will be remanded for further development and examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from April 14, 2008 to December 13, 2011. The VA audiometric examination conducted on December 13, 2011 revealed exceptional levels of hearing loss in both ears.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for left tibia fracture residuals was granted, with a current evaluation of 20 percent. The issues regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were denied.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have chronic symptoms of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss during service and that there were no continuous symptoms since service. The current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was not shown to be related to service, thus denying service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as a claim for service connection for sleep apnea, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his treatment records from Elgin AFB.

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

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not found to be present for VA compensation purposes, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of an unadjudicated claim filed earlier than May 10, 2010.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and finds that it is related to his active military service. The Veteran's current hearing loss disability is considered at least as likely as not due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate examination and a need for further medical evaluation of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for an increased disability rating for tinnitus was granted but with the maximum schedular evaluation. The Veteran is currently in receipt of the maximum schedular disability rating for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings in either time period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a videoconference hearing. The service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disorder remain pending.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was evaluated at 20 percent throughout the appeal period, with no evidence of symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate rationale in previous VA examinations and a need for an additional opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active service, including noise exposure during service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the hearing loss was incurred in service or within one year of separation.