Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Veteran's service-connected back pain and hearing loss disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of December 6, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for left ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is considered to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided.

The Veteran claims service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was diagnosed by a VA audiologist. The examiner opined that the hearing loss is less likely related to active service due to normal auditory thresholds at enlistment and separation, as well as the absence of complaints or treatment in service records. However, there is an increase in pure tone threshold between entrance and exit exams. The Veteran's claim will be remanded for a new VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities began during service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn all his appeals, including those for increased ratings and service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a present hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection for hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and left ear hearing loss, as well as his TDIU claim, are being remanded due to scheduling issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 50 percent effective May 4, 2016. The current rating criteria adequately describe the Veteran's disability level and symptomatology.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of onset during service or within one year thereafter. The current diagnoses are considered to be unrelated to any incident of service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is incurred in military service and granted service connection for this condition. The decision on bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was not addressed by the RO.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have started during his military service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not considered to have been incurred during service, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection. The VA examiners concluded that the current hearing loss did not result from in-service acoustic trauma.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, increased rating for tinnitus, and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss have been denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10% has been assigned for his tinnitus, which is the highest available under Diagnostic Code 6260.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete records and additional development is needed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking a rating in excess of 50 percent for anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified (mixed anxiety depressive disorder).

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his current hearing loss disability is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been denied.