Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable rating, as the VA audiological examinations produced unreliable and unsuitable results for rating purposes.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule, thus denying his claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and increased evaluations for the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability. The decision is based on evidence showing a link between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss, as well as an increase in symptoms over time.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not occur during service and is not related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was manifested by no worse than Level II hearing impairment in the right ear and Level IV hearing impairment in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable initial disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been granted at a 10 percent level, effective April 16, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient records and scheduling a VA audiology examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent is assigned for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is caused by service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, and antisocial personality disorder has been reopened. The Board finds new and material evidence to support the reopening of this claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no credible evidence showing their onset during active duty or within one year of separation. The VA examiner concluded that the current conditions are more likely due to non-service-connected factors.

The Veteran's audiometric and speech recognition test scores have revealed, at worst, Level II hearing acuity in both ears. For the entire initial rating period on appeal, his bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied as the earliest correspondence related to these issues is dated January 2, 2013.,The Veteran seeks an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus but this is not warranted given the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 6260.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot degenerative arthritis is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after his military service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that these conditions had their onset during service, and against a finding that any current hearing loss disability is otherwise related to service or any noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, effective October 9, 2014. The RO increased the rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss to 10 percent from that date.

The Veteran's sinusitis with headaches and bilateral hearing loss are not rated higher than the current assigned ratings, as they do not meet the criteria for increased disability under the applicable rating schedule.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU since January 13, 2003, due to his service-connected disabilities making him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.