Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, while his left ear hearing loss does not meet VA compensation criteria.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding new and material evidence. The Board also found that these conditions were aggravated by military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence supports reopening these previously denied claims. The Board also found that both conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma. The claim for diabetes mellitus, type 2, is pending as the Veteran's exposure to herbicides while serving aboard USS Picking is not established.,Further investigation into the deck logs of USS Picking during the claimed Vietnam service period is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between the disabilities and service.

The Veteran's low back disability, neck muscle spasms, and radiculopathy of the hips are all found to be related to his service-connected conditions. His bilateral hearing loss is also found to be related to noise exposure in service.,The right shoulder condition is not found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated at a noncompensable level prior to June 11, 2014 and at a 10 percent level since then. The claim for an increased evaluation is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable rating throughout the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is rated as Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable since the effective date of service connection. The audiometric testing results have consistently shown Level I hearing in both ears, which corresponds to a zero percent rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss had been manifested by no worse than level I hearing acuity in both ears. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against entitlement to an initial compensable rating for this disability.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss (aggravated) due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or etiology related to service. Service connection was not granted for the Veteran's back disability as there was no chronicity in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his hearing loss, right knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature of any service-connected disabilities and whether they are related to service. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability will be remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of his presence in Vietnam and a VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim to reopen a left ankle disability. The Veteran is seeking an increased rating for his left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and updated VA medical records. He also needs to undergo new VA examinations for his PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.