Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Board then determined that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach disability. Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, with no specific exposure basis provided.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to acoustic trauma during his period of Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA) service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service acoustic trauma exposure, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability is not related to service, and his bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service. The appeal for service connection on these issues is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding treatment records for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and a neck condition. The VA and private treatment records need to be obtained.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, a right knee condition, and a left knee condition are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining private treatment records.

The Board finds that the evidence is roughly in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus related to noise exposure during his military service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service-connected hearing loss and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's headaches are found to be aggravated by his service-connected psychiatric disability, including depression.,Service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is denied as the condition was not incurred in or caused by service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure, resulting in a grant of service connection.

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

The Board has vacated its previous decision and is now remanding the case for further action, including scheduling a video conference hearing.

The Board determined that the reduction of the rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss from 70% to 40%, effective February 1, 2010 was proper.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, as it relates to service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.,The Board also found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not manifest in service and is unrelated to service. Sensorineural hearing loss as an organic disease of the nervous system is not shown to have been manifested to a compensable degree within one year after separation from service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that his hearing did not meet VA criteria for a disability. The Veteran's service records showed no complaints or diagnoses related to hearing loss during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be due to the use of Oxaliplatin for his service-connected rectal cancer, and thus granted service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no worse than Level II hearing in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable rating under the VA Rating Schedule. The Board finds that he does not meet the criteria for a compensable initial rating.