Hearing loss decisions — 2014

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including verifying periods of service and obtaining medical opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and pilonidal cyst. The decision found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of a preexisting pilonidal cyst aggravated by service, and that the Veteran does not have a current pilonidal cyst disability other than a residual scar already in effect. For bilateral hearing loss, the Board noted new and material evidence but did not reach a conclusion on its merits.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including a VA audiology examination and an opinion on whether the appellant's hearing loss was aggravated by noise exposure during his National Guard service.

The Board found the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not related to service or his service-connected tinnitus, and thus denied service connection.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was incurred in service and the Board is granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss and a TDIU. The case is being remanded to obtain additional evidence, including SSA records and a VA examination.

The Board determined that the September 1959 rating decision severing service connection for chronic otitis media with hearing loss in the left ear was clearly and unmistakably erroneous due to insufficient evidence of aggravation during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling new VA examinations and issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC) on several claims.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a Substantive Appeal regarding the July 2008 rating decision, which decreased the epilepsy rating from 20 percent to 10 percent, continued the low back disability rating at 20 percent, and denied individual unemployability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. The appeal regarding nonservice-connected pension benefits is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss substantially or materially contributed to his death from urothelial carcinoma with metastases.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including whether they are related to service or pre-existed service. The claims will be remanded for a VA examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional outpatient treatment records. The case will be reviewed again after these are obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea are related to her military service, while her heart murmur, asthma, and CTS do not have a direct link. The reduction in rating for pes planus was upheld.

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

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and depression can be decided. This includes obtaining verification of all periods of active duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty for training, as well as any periods of National Guard service. The Veteran also needs to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his current psychiatric disorders and hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, but rather due to post-service noise exposure. The left ear injury was not diagnosed.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss were not incurred or aggravated by service, and denied these claims. The tinnitus was also not linked to service.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has not resulted in a compensable disability rating for any portion of the increased rating period on appeal.