Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board found no evidence of a link between the Veteran's active duty service and his current bilateral hearing loss, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The remaining issues on appeal are addressed below.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with the hearing loss being granted on a direct basis due to noise exposure in service. Tinnitus is presumed based on the presence of high frequency hearing loss during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, while the claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss has been withdrawn.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbosacral disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus in the right ear are not related to service. The Board also determined that spina bifida is a congenital defect and therefore not service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and provide the Veteran with a VA examination. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of prostate cancer, and TDIU are inextricably intertwined and must be addressed together.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus based on the Veteran's credible reports of in-service noise exposure and his current symptoms. Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss.

The evidence does not show that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. The Board finds as such, his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 80 percent, and the Board has granted a TDIU as of December 1, 2009.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and whether it is related to service. The Veteran will be provided a new examination to address these issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no credible, probative evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and current disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation at any time during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is therefore denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability was rated at 10 percent prior to April 23, 2014, and remains at that level thereafter. The appeal is granted for the entire increased rating period.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss did not become manifest during service, within one year of discharge, or is otherwise related to his military service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss and denied his request for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current hearing loss disabilities are not considered disabling under VA criteria.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD is granted as there was an in-service personal assault and the Veteran has current diagnosed PTSD. The hearing loss claim remains pending due to insufficient evidence regarding a clinically significant threshold shift during service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to in-service military noise exposure, and the Board finds that service connection for this condition should be granted.