Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred in, or caused by, his military service and the Board finds that the evidence supports the grant of service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a need for an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran asserts that his hearing loss is related to service, but the VA examiner found no evidence of high frequency hearing loss at discharge and noted civilian noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran's testimony regarding in-service noise exposure and the factual presumption of service connection due to combat status have been considered, along with the VA examiner's opinion that the hearing loss is not related to service. Given the balance of evidence, the claim is granted.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection due to lack of current hearing loss meeting VA compensation criteria, but granted service connection for tinnitus as it had its onset during service.

The case is being remanded for further development of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his service treatment records and scheduling medical examinations.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for headaches, pseudofolliculis barbae, and tinnitus. However, these claims were denied as there was no new and material evidence to support them.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has decided the case needs further examination and review due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure of a scheduled hearing before the Board. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for updated medical records and a contemporaneous VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are etiologically related to his active service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Reserve service records and preparing an etiological opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities from September 1, 2012 to April 29, 2013.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation as his hearing acuity levels have consistently been at Level II in both ears, resulting in no more than noncompensable ratings.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for the VA to obtain his outstanding treatment records and conduct any other necessary development. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was not shown to be worse than Level I in either ear at any point during the appeal period, resulting in a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, or bilateral pes planus. The claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability in these conditions at any time during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating of lumbar spine disability and service connection for bilateral hearing loss were denied. The claim for TDIU was not addressed as it is part of the remand.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for clarification of the February 2012 audiometric evaluation and for a new VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's hearing impairment was rated at 30 percent from December 8, 2011 to October 26, 2014 for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. From October 27, 2014, the rating remained at 30 percent.