Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and a new medical opinion regarding his claimed hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a direct causal relationship between his in-service injury and current arthritis or degenerative disc disease.,For hearing loss, the Veteran received a compensable rating of 10 percent from July 21, 2010 to June 5, 2012. The Board found that the evidence did not show puretone threshold and speech recognition test results warranting a higher rating during this period.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show puretone threshold and speech recognition test results warranting such a rating from June 5, 2012 forward.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 5, 2012 for the grant of 10 percent disability for hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show continuity of symptomatology or a nexus to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased evaluation for lumbosacral strain, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and reopening of his claim for bilateral knee disorder are being addressed.

The Board found that there is no credible evidence showing a link between the Veteran's current tinnitus and in-service noise exposure, thus denying service connection for tinnitus. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service records and need for further examination. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss will be reconsidered with additional evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for low back disorder is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has ordered additional development as the Veteran may have received recent VA or private audiological examinations that could contain new and material evidence. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and left ear hearing loss are pending.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral eye disability and denied entitlement to an increased evaluation for low back disability. The Veteran's current eye disability is not related to his military service, while the low back disability was found to be at least as likely as not incurred in service.

The VA determined that the Veteran's hearing loss did not warrant a compensable evaluation based on his May 2011 audiometric results, which corresponded to no worse than Level III hearing in both ears.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a statement of the case in response to his disagreement with the initial rating assigned for bilateral hearing loss, and a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge will be scheduled.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a bilateral eye disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. New evidence submitted since the previous decisions does not provide sufficient information to reopen either claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's assertions of in-service noise exposure are credible, but there is no credible lay assertion of continuity of symptoms since service. The VA examination and opinion concluded that current bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, night sweats, chest pain, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and left knee disability have all been denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for temporomandibular joint disorder (jaw pain).,No specific rating or effective date has been assigned in this decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss and a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss due to inadequate examination opinions. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or manifestations of these conditions during service. The Board found that the current diagnoses are not service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic disability manifested as right ear pain have all been granted.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, but denied them on the merits.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA audiological examination and consideration of an extraschedular evaluation due to the nature of his hearing loss disability.