Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims to reopen his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no worse than a Level I impairment of auditory acuity in both ears, and he does not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss and granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hearing loss is related to his active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability was granted effective November 10, 2008. The right elbow and left foot disabilities were denied, and the hand disability was not addressed as it pertained to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's back disability and right ear hearing loss are found to be related to service, with the Board finding that a VA examination is necessary for clarification.

The Board denied service connection for vision impairment, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, mental stress and depression. The decision concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluation of asbestos-induced pleural disease, reopening of service connection claims for various conditions, and TDIU/SMC have been granted. The Veteran is now rated at 100% for his asbestos-induced pleural disease as of May 3, 2010.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder was incurred in service and the Board finds that he is entitled to service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is attributable to service, specifically noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy, were denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or radiation. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under applicable regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating of 30 percent for PTSD. The Veteran's claim for TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and providing a VA examination for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral eye injury residuals and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence of a current disability.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran's current conditions are considered refractive errors, which do not qualify under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to damaged records from the Social Security Administration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiological examination.

The Board has awarded service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure. The claims were reopened due to new evidence submitted since the last denial.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his noise exposure during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen her claim of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence had not been received. The decision also noted that the Veteran's current hearing loss did not meet VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be caused by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and thus service connection for tinnitus secondary to this condition is granted.