Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, and a TDIU rating of 60% has been granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is a result of noise exposure during his military service, and grants this claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete compliance with a previous remand directive.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is incurred during his active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not presented such an exceptional or unusual disability picture with such related factors as marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards. Therefore, referral for extraschedular consideration is denied.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA), as well as to obtain any missing service treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if his bilateral hearing loss is related to military service or ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability, and his service-connected right pterygium residuals do not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating. The claims of service connection for right knee and right foot injuries are denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during active duty or within one year after discharge.

The Veteran does not have a current disability due to carbon monoxide exposure, dystonic reaction secondary to medication, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin cancer of the lip and breast, or chronic fatigue syndrome (claimed as fibromyalgia or chronic pain).,There is no evidence linking any claimed conditions to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded for further examination to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the nature of his Reserve service and whether any claimed disabilities are related to such service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's incarceration and inability to attend a hearing. The RO is instructed to clarify the Veteran's incarceration status, determine the feasibility of scheduling a hearing in accordance with applicable procedures, and return the matter for further action.

The Board denied all service connection claims, including for nicotine dependence as a matter of law and for limited use of the hands as moot due to the grant of service connection. The Veteran's skin disability was rated based on its severity.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's service connection claims are pending.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to February 23, 2010 for the grants of service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left knee and tinnitus are denied. The claim for bilateral hearing loss disability is pending as VA treatment records are needed. The claim for increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder is pending as VA treatment records are needed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria. The claim for the low back disability was also denied, with a finding of insufficient evidence to grant an initial compensable rating prior to February 19, 2013, and a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was restored to a 10 percent evaluation from June 1, 2012, to February 18, 2013.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct a new VA examination.

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