Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the issues on appeal, including obtaining a VA opinion regarding the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and addressing whether his heart and lung conditions are related to participation in the ACCORD trial or VA care.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and he was granted service connection for this condition. The hearing loss issue remains pending as a separate claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employability. Additional VA examinations are needed, as well as obtaining outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA standards. The other issues on appeal are not addressed due to the denial of the primary issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of left ear hearing loss for VA service connection purposes, and thus cannot establish entitlement to service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be service-connected as it is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a neurologic disorder (claimed as Parkinson's disease or tremors) is pending and not decided.,Service connection has been granted for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is attributable to service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his active military service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is considered to be incurred in service due to exposure to hazardous noise, and the Board finds that it is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is required.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable prior to November 8, 2014, and as 10 percent disabling since that date. The Board found no basis for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their clinical onset during service or within one year of either period of active duty, and thus cannot be presumed to have been incurred therein. The VA examiner found no evidence of permanent hearing loss in either ear until after both periods of active service, and concluded that any current hearing loss is less likely related to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no competent evidence of a present hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of right ear hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability and hearing loss disability. The claim for tinnitus was granted, but only as a result of resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his service, including noise exposure during active duty. The preponderance of evidence is against finding these conditions related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, but has decided that her claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not warranted based on the evidence of record. The issues have been REMANDED to allow further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to in-service noise exposure. The VA and VHA opinions found no evidence of acoustic trauma or significant auditory threshold shift during active duty.