Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as an additional medical opinion regarding his service connection claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to address the issue of service connection for left ear hearing loss, as this issue is intertwined with the initial rating claim for right ear hearing loss. The AOJ should adjudicate both issues before proceeding.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional evidentiary development, including obtaining his complete service treatment and personnel records.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are both granted. Bilateral hearing loss is found to have had its onset during combat service in Vietnam, while tinnitus is related to the Veteran's in-service acoustic trauma.

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

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is manifested by no more than a hearing acuity of Level III for the right ear and Level II for the left ear, warranting a noncompensable evaluation. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support an increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear at a scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case will be processed again after scheduling the Veteran for a new hearing.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a hearing loss and granted service connection based on in-service noise exposure. The decision is final as it was denied in September 1983, but new evidence received since then supports the reopening of the claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are found to be related to service, including in-service acoustic trauma and/or the septorhinoplasty he underwent during service.

The Veteran's current tinnitus is causally related to service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and established a 20 percent evaluation for the Veteran's left ankle strain. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss, pulmonary disorder, right foot bunion, left foot bunion, right hand disorder, right CTS, and sleep apnea.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further examination and opinion as the current VA audiological examiner did not adequately address his in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a skin condition, flatfeet, back problems, hearing loss, and frequent urination. The decision found that pre-existing bilateral flatfeet were not aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded. His request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial evaluation for service-connected hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of additional evidence.

The VA payment of $20,204.16 to the appellant as attorney fees on July 23, 2012 was improper because she no longer represented the Veteran in his TDIU claim.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and has determined that new evidence received since the August 2003 denial supports reopening of this claim. The Veteran is presumed to have in-service noise exposure, and there is credible lay evidence linking current bilateral hearing loss to such exposure. As a result, the Board finds that service connection should be granted for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the residuals of fracture of the right 5th and 2nd metacarpals are currently rated at 30 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been denied.

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