Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as any psychiatric disorder. The case will be reviewed by the RO/AMC after this development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities are granted. The claim for PTSD is granted with an initial rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability before a decision was made.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of an extraschedular evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing on his claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The tinnitus claim is inextricably intertwined with the hearing loss claim and must be considered together.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and his symptoms are more likely related to non-service-connected conditions or natural aging processes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus had their onset during service, specifically combat service in Vietnam. Therefore, service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be August 26, 2009. The Veteran's claim was denied in January 2004 and reopened on August 26, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to exposure to acoustic trauma in service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.,Service connection for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left thigh, Muscle Group XV, with degenerative joint disease of the knee status post total knee replacement was granted and assigned a 60 percent rating effective as of May 28, 2010.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his military noise exposure in service, and the Board finds that service connection for this condition should be granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was evaluated as Level II in the right ear and Level IV in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The current evidence does not support an increase in the initial rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and thus service connection for tinnitus is granted. The appeal of the hearing loss issue is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal prior to a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the current level of severity.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since January 2004. The most recent VA examination in May 2012 showed auditory acuity levels from IV for the right ear and II for the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected, and his tinnitus is granted at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and a respiratory disorder were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any current disability was incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia with PTSD contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. As a result, the DIC claim is moot.