Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between current hearing loss and tinnitus and in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to noise exposure during service, and his bilateral hearing loss is found not to be related to service. The case is remanded for a new VA examination on the issue of bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a personal hearing due to his failure to appear at the previously scheduled videoconference hearing.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with middle ear fluid affecting audiological testing. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being reviewed again after proper treatment of his middle ear condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% from August 2, 2011. His bilateral hearing loss remains at a 30% rating prior to July 29, 2011 and does not warrant an increased rating after that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his military service, including noise exposure during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and depression as secondary to bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no legal basis for a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for nephropathy was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,For his bilateral hearing loss prior to July 24, 2007, a compensable rating was not granted due to the severity of his hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have onset in service and is granted service connection. The Board also finds that the Veteran has other disabilities, including bilateral knee, hand, and back disorders, which are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to in-service exposure to hazardous noise levels during combat service, and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing. The rating for PTSD has been increased, but the issues of ratings for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a skin disorder remain under review.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and service connection were denied. The Board found that the earliest evidence of a claim was January 12, 2009, which is when the grant of service connection for status post right hip arthroplasty was granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, including bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and right ear conductive hearing loss, was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss was aggravated by service, and his left ear hearing loss is presumed to have been incurred in service. Both conditions are now granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

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

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was withdrawn. The Board found no left index finger disability and denied the claim for an increased rating for residuals of a left first metacarpophalangeal joint (thumb) fusion, as there is no evidence of such a condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD. The VA examiner found no evidence of any skin rash or other skin disability on physical examination and concluded that it is less likely as not related to service. A new VA audiological examination is needed to determine whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was caused by or due to his service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied by the Board. The VA audiometric evaluations showed that the Veteran had mild to severe hearing loss in both ears, but his speech recognition scores were above 90%, which resulted in noncompensable ratings under the applicable criteria.