Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his military service, and the Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding of service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and diabetes mellitus are found to be related to service, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for further examination. The Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are being reviewed.

The Board finds the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hearing loss is related to service, and grants service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to military service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the reduction in the Veteran's disability rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability from 10 percent to noncompensable was proper based on improved speech discrimination scores. The claim is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination and updated treatment records.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further development as the evidence is inconclusive.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.,Service connection is also granted for tinnitus secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss. The Board found no evidence of a link between the cysts and the Veteran's service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease is granted based on exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.,The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as new and material evidence was not received.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss or an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically addressing whether these conditions are related to service exposure. The Veteran is requested to provide additional evidence or argument on this matter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability as defined by VA regulations. Service connection for tinnitus was also denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability was not incurred or aggravated by his active military service, and it may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The VA examiner noted borderline normal hearing in both ears with mild high frequency sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear only at 4000Hz.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for PTSD prior to August 24, 2013. The evidence did not establish a nexus between the current conditions and active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for right ear hearing loss, right knee disorder, or a back disorder due to lack of evidence showing such conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board finds that the appellant does not have current hearing impairment as defined by VA, and therefore does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss, fibromyalgia, joint pain, or sleep disorder. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.