Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a compensable degree of hearing loss within one year post-service. The VA examiner found it speculative to determine if any current hearing loss or tinnitus were caused by service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is service-connected as it worsened during active duty, and his left ear hearing loss may also be related to service due to exposure to noise. The Veteran's tinnitus is likely linked to his right ear hearing loss.,An initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD will need further review.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining new VA examinations and obtaining any outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and increased ratings for tinnitus have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when evaluated in association with his educational attainment and occupational experience, preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the criteria for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) have been met.

The Veteran's initial claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as they did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating or higher.,The effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied as the original claim was received within one year of discharge.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination. The issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea remains inextricably intertwined with his TDIU claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss had its onset during his combat service in Vietnam and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and granted. The issues of bilateral hearing loss and PTSD were withdrawn prior to the decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess his bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss prior to September 30, 2011 is rated at 90 percent and the Board has granted a 100 percent rating on an extraschedular basis.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not shown to have been present in service or for many years thereafter, nor is it shown to be the result of any incident therein. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional substantive development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's chronic otitis of the left ear and left ear hearing loss. The issues of service connection for both conditions are inextricably intertwined.

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

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not meet the criteria for service connection, as there was no evidence of a current disability in service or at separation. The Board also noted that the onset of his tinnitus coincided with his sudden hearing loss, which was attributed to an idiopathic condition rather than military acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 10 percent prior to August 7, 1973 based on the separation examination results.

The Veteran's appeal of the increased rating claim for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board grants service connection for vertigo, finding that it had its onset during active service and is related to his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus was denied as there is no credible evidence of its onset during active service or within one year after discharge.,The Veteran's gout has been rated at 20% since May 2008, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on symptom combinations productive of definite impairment of health.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, an acquired mental disorder other than PTSD (claimed as anxiety attacks), OSA, and a higher initial rating for diabetes mellitus. The RO found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development of his stressor reports and other relevant records.