Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and the Board finds that he has a current diagnosis of bilateral tinnitus. The criteria for entitlement to service connection for tinnitus have been met.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional development for the Veteran's claims, including scheduling new VA examinations and affording him an opportunity for a hearing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disability, right shoulder disability, and seborrheic dermatitis in the groin area is being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred during his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a head laceration with loss of consciousness is denied. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) are pending as additional evidence may be needed to establish the presence or etiology of these conditions. Service connection for coronary artery disease secondary to PTSD remains pending.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, the evidence does not support a finding of service connection as both conditions are considered to be due to post-service noise exposure rather than in-service events.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and headaches are being remanded due to procedural issues and the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be incurred in service and granted. For his otitis externa, the maximum schedular rating of 10% is maintained.

The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted, and he is currently receiving a 10 percent rating for this condition. The most recent VA examination did not reveal any worsening of his hearing impairment since the last evaluation in August 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA audiology examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss increased in severity during his military service, and the Board finds that this increase was not clearly and unmistakably due to natural progression. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted based on aggravation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability as there was no evidence of a current disability, and the February 2012 VA audiological evaluation did not show hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of December 3, 2004 for his TDIU due to CUE in a May 2011 rating decision. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU prior to December 3, 2004.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his audiometric testing reveals no worse than Level I hearing acuity in each of his ears.

The Veteran does not have a current left ear hearing loss disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the reopening of service connection claims for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, an upper respiratory condition (to include sleep apnea), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board found that none of the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including his right knee disability and tinnitus, were primary or contributory causes of his death. The evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities caused or contributed substantially to his death.

The Board determined that the reduction of the rating for the appellant's service-connected bilateral hearing loss from 20 percent to noncompensable effective July 27, 2010 was proper. However, it found that the criteria for a compensable rating have not been met.