Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have onset in service or be related to his active military service, and therefore service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's melanoma and residuals thereof are at least as likely as not proximately due to his herbicide exposure. His bilateral hyperaldosteronism is an endocrinopathy that manifested within one year of separation from active duty, warranting presumptive service connection. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss had its onset during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right and left ear hearing acuity.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition. The hearing loss claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions to determine its etiology.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is attributable to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds there is no audiological evidence to support an increased evaluation.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, do not render him unemployable without regard to advancing age. The evidence shows his disabilities are sufficiently severe to produce unemployability but does not meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder and for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal regarding TDIU was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma during his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as he does not have the required auditory threshold levels to meet the definition of a hearing loss disability under VA regulations. The claims for increased evaluations for his cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Veteran's request for a Board videoconference hearing has not been scheduled, and the case is being remanded to schedule this hearing.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 30 percent prior to March 28, 2016, and at 40 percent thereafter. The claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability (adjustment disorder) has been granted. However, the issue of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder remains pending.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for retained shell fragments in his left leg and foot, as well as an eye disability to include glaucoma. The issues of bilateral hearing loss disability and pseudofolliculitis barbae remain pending.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted. The decision found that the Veteran's current tinnitus had its onset during active duty due to noise exposure in combat.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that these conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to cause the Veteran's death. The independent medical opinion concluded that the service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a video conference hearing. The issues of service connection and rating for bilateral knee disability, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss are still pending.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by exposure to loud noise during service. The appeal for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is dismissed.