Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's appeals for initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and initial disability rating for tinnitus in excess of 10 percent have been withdrawn. The appeal for service connection for a chronic pulmonary condition, to include as due to conceded in-service asbestos exposure, is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and incomplete medical records, particularly regarding the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, as well as a determination on whether he has suffered loss of use of his feet due to service-connected metatarsalgia with callosities and pes planus status post-operative.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be related to service exposure, with the Board granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus, mastoidectomy residuals, and bilateral hearing loss are all rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. The Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted for any of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling an examination. The appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The Veteran is already receiving the maximum schedular rating for his tinnitus, and the RO has assigned a non-compensable rating for his hearing loss prior to June 16, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for her service-connected otitis media of the right ear with a perforated tympanic eardrum and hearing loss is on appeal.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to his in-service noise exposure, and grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is moot.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent under Diagnostic Code 6100.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ear hearing loss prior to January 11, 2005 and for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from January 11, 2005 were denied. The claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety was also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 30 percent since June 20, 2011. The evidence does not support a higher rating during this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is not attributable to service or a service-connected disease or injury, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during his active duty or within one year of separation, and are not otherwise related to service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not cause impairment consistent with an extraschedular disability rating in excess of 10 percent, and therefore denied entitlement to an extraschedular rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are directly related to his active service, with no indication of any other etiology. As such, these conditions have been granted as service-connected.