Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claim for an initial increased compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as her current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted with effective dates of July 6, 2004.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU has also been granted with an effective date of July 6, 2004. The award of DEA benefits is contingent on the grant of service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA audiological examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, primarily his low back and bilateral lower extremity pain, render him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment throughout the appeal period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death is not attributable to service or any incident of service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have service connection for headaches, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bilateral leg neuropathy, a left ankle disability, hearing loss, or tinnitus due to his service. The evidence does not support these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection. The hearing loss claim was remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability. The case will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis C, as well as the reopening of a claim for hepatitis C on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or hepatitis C.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability as defined by VA standards and there is no competent evidence reflective of a tinnitus disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The evidence does not show that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss meets or approximates the criteria for a compensable disability rating during the entire initial rating period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is moot due to a grant of service connection by the AMC in November 2011. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of an injury to the back of the head with headaches are being remanded for further development.

The Board has found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to service and grants this claim. The right ear hearing loss claim requires additional testing before a decision can be made.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the etiology of his claimed conditions and any potential service connection based on exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since the filing of his claim. The VA audiological examinations conducted during the appeal period did not show a pattern of exceptional hearing impairment or other factors warranting an increased rating.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and finds that new evidence received is sufficient to reopen the claim. However, the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not shown to be related to his active military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims to reopen his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and depression and OCD. The evidence received since the last final decisions does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.