Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a chronic condition during service. The VA examiner concluded that the most likely etiologies for the Veteran's hearing loss were recreational noise exposure (hunting) and age-related factors.

The Board has granted service connection for multilevel lumbar disc degeneration and an initial rating of 70 percent for PTSD. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, and he has bilateral hearing loss that likely stems from service. The headache disorder is not shown to have preexisted service or to be otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to in-service noise exposure, and service connection for this condition is granted. The Veteran's PTSD disability rating remains at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating based on current evidence of record. The noncompensable rating is assigned as his hearing impairment levels correspond to Level II in the left ear and Level I in the right ear, resulting from VA audiometric examination conducted in May 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed bilateral hearing loss, which may be related to service. The case will then be readjudicated.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's current hearing loss disability was found to be related to his military noise exposure, while there is no evidence of a chronic condition related to the laboratory finding of impaired fasting glucose that could be considered diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable evaluation throughout the rating period on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to service, as there was no significant shift in hearing acuity during service and the examiner opined it is less likely than not due to noise exposure. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is therefore denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 30 percent since April 2012, and no higher rating is warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA audiological examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, including noise exposure from machine guns and other light weapons during his periods of service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right shoulder arthritis, are found to be of such severity that they prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to scheduling issues and the Veteran's failure to appear at a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the requested development is completed.

The Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded for additional examination to determine their current severity, as well as for the issuance of a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) with VA treatment records from February 2016 to present.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 40 percent since January 23, 2012. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn as to the claims for higher initial disability ratings for left ankle degenerative arthritis, left ear hearing loss, chronic pansinusitis, allergic rhinitis, traumatic brain injury, and post-concussive headaches.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, to include as secondary to PTSD, are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has decided to take jurisdiction over the claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability, to include as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability and the reopened claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss. The issues of an increased rating for the service connected lumbar spine disability are REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ).