Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the appeal due to insufficient consideration of new evidence and a failure to issue a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC). The Veteran's claims for service connection are now pending again.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for an ear disability (identified as hearing loss) and granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss in February 2011. The effective date assigned was September 30, 2002.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were found to be incurred in service. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that exposure to herbicide agents did not cause or contribute to any of these disabilities.

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

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for left lower extremity nerve damage was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, but noted that he had a current neurological disorder of his left lower extremity related to his in-service shrapnel injury.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The low back disability claim was also denied, but the Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure proper development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's request for a videoconference hearing, and the appeal is being returned to the AOJ for scheduling such a hearing.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disability and hearing loss have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion from the VA examiner regarding the etiology of his current hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inextricably intertwined issues, including a claim of entitlement to service connection for Meniere's disease. The claims are being referred back to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted, and he is currently service-connected with a noncompensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and readjudicating the issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea have been reopened due to new evidence. However, both claims remain denied as there is no established link between the conditions and either active duty service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, entitlement to service connection for positional vertigo (dizziness) secondary to bilateral hearing loss, entitlement to service connection for headaches secondary to bilateral hearing loss, and entitlement to service connection for skin condition to include as due to exposure to Agent Orange.