Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his representative.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has determined that his TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability originated during service and is therefore granted as service connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a social and industrial survey to determine his ability to work due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating from June 7, 2013 to March 31, 2016 and denied his request for a greater than 10 percent rating since then.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hearing loss, and finds that there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of these conditions being related to service. The Veteran's other neurological disabilities are also found to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease was granted. The claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and cold exposure-related disabilities were denied.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction, low back disability, left knee disability, right wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss, and sleep disorder are all granted as service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were proximately caused by or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The right ear hearing loss disability was rated as noncompensable, while the right shoulder traumatic arthritis received a rating of 10 percent prior to December 11, 2013, and 20 percent from that date forward.

The Veteran was granted service connection for PTSD with depression and bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection is pending for Throat Cancer, Thrombocytopenia, and Pseudophakia, Status-post Bilateral Cataract Removal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was withdrawn. The claims for service connection for bilateral knee and elbow disabilities, as well as migraine headaches, secondary to service-connected conditions, have been denied due to lack of credible evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran is precluded from securing or following substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that a TDIU is warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, and hernia disability. The appeals were based on informal claims filed in July 2010 for these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes and his tinnitus is not related to service. Therefore, the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending as the VA opinion was inadequate.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was evaluated at a 40 percent rating since November 26, 2013. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in his disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the appellant's request for withdrawal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for hearing loss and denying both conditions as not caused by service.