Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hand scars, finding that the Veteran's current scars are attributable to his in-service burn and laceration injuries. The issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a lack of recent audiometric testing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for a VA examination to evaluate the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and chronic vestibulopathy, as well as whether these disabilities render him unemployable. The case will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to his military service, and the Board denied these claims based on a finding that they are not presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board has granted restoration of service connection for left ear hearing loss, but denied the claim for right ear hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are likely related to his military service, thus granting his claims for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure during active service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The issues include service connection, increased ratings, and hearing loss.

The Veteran has established service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, but not right ear hearing loss. The Board finds no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus that could be related to service.

The Board found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss to his in-service noise exposure, and thus denied service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA mental health treatment records and scheduling him for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss and depression. The TDIU claim will also be remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are likely due to his exposure to noise during military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding records and an audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back condition is not related to his active service and does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.,Regarding the respiratory disability, the VA examiner opined that the Veteran's intermittent dyspnea is more likely due to emotional issues rather than an underlying lung disease. The requested pulmonary function test results are needed for a complete evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there was no current hearing loss disability for VA purposes in either ear.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private audiometry records and employer-administered hearing test results.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including an addendum opinion from the October 2011 VA examiner to address in-service noise exposure and pre-existing conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for cold injury residuals. The Veteran was granted a 30 percent disability rating for his bilateral hearing loss effective July 6, 2011.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, but the VA has determined that there is no new and material evidence to support these claims. As a result, the claims were denied on their merits.

The Board finds that the Veteran's recurrent bilateral ankle instability with ligament involvement is causally related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition. However, there is no evidence of current hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations.