Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his service connection claims, including the verification of his periods of active duty and inactive duty training, and for VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be the result of his service-connected hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and denied increased disability ratings for GAD and PTSD prior to August 20, 2012 and from that date forward, respectively. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, due to herbicide exposure. However, the Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for tinnitus and hearing loss remains denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss before a decision was made.

The Board has remanded the case due to need for additional development, including verification of service dates and clarification on the nature and etiology of the appellant's hearing loss and right shoulder disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, or pre-existed service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable during the specified period.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset in service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and all reasonable doubt should be resolved in favor of the Veteran. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal on this issue.

The Board has determined that the September 2007 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss contained clear and unmistakable error, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new audiological evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not show a nexus to active service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating prior to July 2, 2012 and since that date he is rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is productive of no worse than a Level I hearing loss in the right ear and Level VI hearing loss in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a back disability, but denied it on the merits.,The Board also denied the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10 percent from May 22, 2009 to January 23, 2013. Since then, the rating has been unchanged.

The Board found no link between the appellant's service and his current hearing loss in the right ear, concluding that it was less likely than not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not caused by or a result of in-service noise exposure. Service connection for sinusitis is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a videoconference hearing. The Veteran requested a hearing but did not attend because he received late notification of the hearing date and his address had changed.