Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to his military service, as they were first noted many years after separation from active duty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was manifested by no more than level I in his right ear at any time and no more than level II at any time in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The Board finds that an initial compensable rating for the entire period is not warranted.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have arisen in service and has continued since, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining National Guard service treatment records and providing supplemental VA medical opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran will also be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any psychiatric disability other than PTSD.

The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during service and the Board finds that a supplemental opinion is necessary to address the hearing threshold levels shown at separation under relevant ISO-ANSI standards. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss may be related to noise exposure in service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA audiological examination to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability, as the previous examination was inadequate.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial compensable rating prior to June 3, 2013 and in excess of 50 percent from June 3, 2013 forward for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for hearing loss, finding that no new and material evidence had been received since the July 1996 rating decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, but due to credible lay statements from the Veteran and his wife. As a result, the claim for service connection for both conditions is granted.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ALS was denied as he did not have a diagnosis of the condition. The appeal for increased rating for tinnitus and hearing loss in the left ear resulted in denial.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has not resulted in a compensable disability rating since the initial grant of service connection. The VA determined that his hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for any higher rating based on the average pure tone threshold and speech recognition scores.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting hearing loss did not increase in severity during service and is less likely related to noise exposure in service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied.

The Veteran's audiometric evaluations show hearing impairment no worse than Level II in each ear during the appeal period, which does not warrant a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss as it was granted in a December 2013 rating decision. The claim for service connection of cervical spine disorder remains pending.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities are related to service, but his right ear hearing loss and colon cancer are not.,Service connection for bilateral hip disabilities is granted. Service connection for right ear hearing loss and colon cancer is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his in-service acoustic trauma and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes in his left ear and service connection is not warranted. For his right ear, the Board determined that there was no evidence of a chronic disease shown during service or within the presumptive period following service.