Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to incomplete medical records and the need for a new VA examination to determine if his current hearing loss is related to military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure. The eye disability is not currently service-connected.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise on whether the appellant's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss had its onset during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and issuance of a statement of the case on his claim for PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset in service, were not otherwise shown to be etiologically related to a disease or injury in service, and are not presumed as chronic conditions under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(a). The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his history of in-service noise exposure, and service connection for this condition has been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure during his time as a wheel vehicle mechanic is causally related to his current condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be addressed on remand.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be due to disease or injury in service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all issues related to the severance of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of malaria.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the issues on appeal, including obtaining service treatment records and updated VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and bilateral ankle and foot conditions are being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not render him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment prior to March 5, 2008. Since then, he has had a combined evaluation of at least 60 percent for his service-connected disabilities, but the VA examiner found that these conditions do not preclude sedentary employment.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete records and for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining audiometric findings and a VA examination to determine the etiology of his erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset during service and is granted. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a respiratory disorder are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left ear hearing loss, gout, and asthma due to inadequate VA medical opinions and outstanding private medical records.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of a hearing loss disability during or within one year after service. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examination to address the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for referral to VA's Director of Compensation and Pension Services or the Undersecretary for Benefits to determine if an extraschedular rating is warranted for his bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, defined by the VA regulations.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial evaluations assigned for the disabilities granted by the February 2009 rating decision are not supported.