Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and thus granted as secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and restoration of his 40% rating for bilateral hearing loss as of March 1, 2013. The Veteran must provide additional evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable prior to February 10, 2012 and increased to 20 percent thereafter effective from February 10, 2012.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and providing a new VA examination to address the etiology of his chronic renal disease.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have left ear hearing loss of sufficient severity to constitute a disability for VA compensation purposes.,For right ear hearing loss, the evidence is in equipoise as to whether it was incurred in service. The claim is granted.

The Veteran seeks a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. The Board is unable to determine whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable due to lack of consideration in the current evidence of record and remands for further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment, given his educational and occupational background.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 30 percent since September 8, 2010. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that current hearing loss or tinnitus is related to service. The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss to his service, including noise exposure. The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA audiological examination to provide opinions on these issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical opinions and treatment records.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is productive of no more than Level I hearing acuity bilaterally, and the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation have not been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims, including obtaining service records and medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently assigned a zero percent (non-compensable) rating, as his pure tone thresholds do not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation under VA's Rating Schedule.

The Veteran does not have sufficient hearing loss in his ears to be considered a disability by VA standards, and therefore service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.