Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability and therefore, his claim for service connection cannot be granted. The decision is denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia and colonic polyps was granted, but rated at 10 percent prior to January 24, 2011.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss disability, finding that there is at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence as to whether the Veteran has a current right ear hearing loss disability as a result of service.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with no worse than Level I hearing acuity in the left ear. The Board finds that this rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, but the criteria for establishing this disability have not been met.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus has also been reopened. A VA examination is needed to determine if there is a relationship between his current foot disability and in-service symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service, including noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by his military service, and therefore grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted as his current hearing loss disability is found to be related to his in-service exposure to loud noise, which is presumed true due to his combat service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, since the initial grant of service connection in November 2008, does not warrant a compensable evaluation as it only shows no worse than Level I hearing acuity in both ears.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to acoustic trauma during his military service and the Board has determined that this meets the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is manifested by puretone thresholds no greater than 38.75 dB for the right ear and 58.75 dB for the left ear, with speech recognition scores of 96 percent for the right ear and 92 percent for the left ear. The Board finds that these findings do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no competent evidence linking his current hearing loss to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate compliance with a previous remand and for an addendum opinion regarding delayed onset of hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss pre-existed his service and was not aggravated by it, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, but his right eye disorder is not. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for the right eye disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to active service. Service connection was denied for left ear hearing loss due to lack of a medical nexus.

The claims are being remanded due to inadequacies in the examination report, including lack of comment on the relationship between current hearing loss and service exposure, consideration of pathologic changes related to early noise exposure, and additional medical comment addressing tinnitus and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, including noise exposure. Therefore, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability in the left ear, and that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an initial rating greater than 20 percent prior to June 17, 2010, or greater than 40 percent thereafter for disc disease of the lumbar spine. The claim for increased ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy was also denied.