Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy and bilateral hearing loss have been evaluated as noncompensable, with the Board finding that a higher evaluation is not warranted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is service-connected, while his right ear hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and medical assessments of the Veteran's functional capacity due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for a TDIU rating due to service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to consider this matter further.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or current disability. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear Meniere's disease with hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as a chronic disability involving the cervical spine. The evidence did not support an in-service onset of these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran has a current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, both of which are related to service. The Veteran's preexisting right ear hearing loss was not aggravated during service, but his current left ear hearing loss is considered disabling under VA criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his right inguinal hernia and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The case is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a VA examination for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after obtaining additional evidence and scheduling an adequate VA examination.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for otitis media, vertigo, viral syndrome, and bilateral hearing loss as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness. However, no new evidence was provided to support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis and hearing loss have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The Board finds that there is a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims, but the effective date cannot be earlier than when the original claim was received.

The Board has dismissed the appeals due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left upper extremity neuropathy, left ear hearing loss, increased ratings for right upper extremity radiculopathy and PTSD, as well as compensable ratings for tension headaches and right ear hearing loss due to procedural reasons.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied, but he was granted a higher rating of 60% for his hearing loss disability effective May 29, 2013. The earlier effective date claim is dismissed as the April 2012 decision became final.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 20 percent, effective August 29, 2012. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating prior to this date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria for a hearing loss or tinnitus condition. The Veteran did not report to scheduled examinations, resulting in denial based on failure to report.

The Board found that the reduction of the evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from 30 percent to noncompensable was proper.