Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his left hearing loss, tinnitus, or any of the other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is not rated higher than noncompensable, and his claim for service connection of a bilateral eye disability was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical intervertebral disc syndrome and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to undeliverable mail and scheduling issues, including a missed VA examination for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's claim for service connection of left ear hearing loss is also pending.

The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not shown to be related to his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma. Therefore, the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, and therefore cannot grant service connection.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without showing good cause.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to address the severity of his residuals from pilonidal cystectomy and perirectal sinus. The claims for service connection are also pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not etiologically related to his period of active service and did not manifest within one year of discharge. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, and his claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as he does not meet the threshold requirement of having a current disability.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted as of April 25, 2016.,The Veteran's PTSD was denied an increased disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn and the case is dismissed as there are no allegations of errors of fact or law for appellate consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right ear hearing loss, and his left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected due to lack of continuity of symptoms since service separation. The VA-contracted examiner found no relationship between the currently diagnosed conditions and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss on an extraschedular basis, finding that his disability picture did not present an exceptional or unusual case with marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development and adjudication due to incomplete medical opinions and missing SSA records.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and does not meet the applicable criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that his diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder was present in service or for many years thereafter, and has not been shown by competent and probative medical evidence to be etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's appeal was allowed as a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was filed in response to the October 2007 VA rating decision, which denied service connection for thyroid gland condition, feet tendonitis, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran did not receive proper notification of the decision until after the deadline for filing an NOD.

The Veteran's throat cancer is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in service.,The Veteran's breathing problems are not related to service.