Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's right ear injury residuals with bilateral hearing loss were evaluated as noncompensable prior to March 10, 2015 and assigned a 10% evaluation on and after March 10, 2015.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all issues listed.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and need for further examination, particularly regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and left ear tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, including noise exposure and in-service ear infections.

The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted effective May 29, 2009, as he was found to be unemployable due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of separation and is not otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's appeal should be remanded for further development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and needs further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was likely exposed to herbicides during his service at Udorn Air Force Base in Thailand, and therefore grants service connection for diabetes mellitus on a presumptive basis. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no competent evidence showing a current disability due to service. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were withdrawn. The bilateral hearing loss disability was not granted as the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes and his tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board is remanding the claims of service connection for ED, a left wrist condition, a left ankle condition, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric condition (including posttraumatic stress disorder and depression) due to their interrelated nature. The claim of service connection for hypertension is also being remanded as it may be related to the Veteran's service.

The Veteran does not have a permanent total service-connected disability, and therefore does not meet the criteria for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 of Title 38 U.S.C.A.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted, as the Board finds that it had its onset in active service. The hearing loss claim remains pending.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable (0 percent) since September 29, 2009. The VA and private audiometric evaluations have consistently shown that the Veteran's hearing impairment does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's service-connected CAD has resulted in exercise tolerance limited to approximately 3 METs, resulting in angina since at least December 2, 2015. A 60 percent rating is granted for CAD.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his hearing loss warranted a higher rating than the current 10 percent assigned.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service connected, but his bilateral hearing loss is not.