Hearing loss decisions — 2015

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the appellant. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disorder, and neck disorder. The case will be remanded to allow for additional examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disorder (to include chloracne) have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his period of service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss as the Veteran withdrew his appeal. The case is being remanded for a VA examination to address the claim for service connection for bilateral hammer toes and calluses.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the possibility that his service-connected hearing loss may have worsened since his last VA examination in December 2008.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as he does not have current diagnoses of the claimed conditions and there is no evidence linking any in-service events to his current disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with symptoms beginning in service and continuing after separation. As such, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional audiometric records. The current rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss remains unchanged.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's lay assertions of in-service noise exposure and continuity of symptoms since service are credible. Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for BCC of the head, face, and neck prior to May 11, 2010.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service or post-service noise exposure that could support a grant of service connection. The claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD was also denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus are addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability. Additionally, the Veteran is granted service connection for tinnitus. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service records and scheduling VA examinations to determine if the veteran's current low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities and completion of the VA Form 21-8940.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure to discuss the effect of the Veteran's hearing loss on his occupational functioning and daily activities. The claim is being returned for further development.

The Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, and his psychiatric disability is presumed to be related to service. The left eye condition needs further clarification regarding its nature (disease or defect) and whether it was aggravated by service.

The VA examiner found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability resulting from service exposure to noise, as the Veteran's right ear hearing loss was noted at entry and did not worsen during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 16, 2015.