Hearing loss decisions — 2016

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

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence and a need for further examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the unavailability of a hearing officer who participated in his previous hearing. The case will be returned for further review.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure the Veteran receives a thorough and complete examination, as well as an adequate medical opinion regarding his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to determine the Appellant's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA), as well as whether any hearing loss or tinnitus are related to service. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the evidence currently of record is sufficient to substantiate the Veteran's tinnitus claim, and service connection for tinnitus is granted. The issue of bilateral hearing loss disability will be remanded due to insufficient development.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since December 2009 and increased to 10 percent effective July 8, 2011. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any period of appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private and VA treatment records, clarifying the use of speech discrimination testing in previous evaluations, and scheduling a new VA audiological examination. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury and residuals of a fall to the left side, finding no evidence of current disabilities related to in-service injuries. The claim for hearing loss was also denied as there is no basis for a compensable rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss did not meet the criteria for entitlement to service connection, as it was not aggravated or permanently worsened by any event, incident, or injury of active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was granted, but his claims for glaucoma, GERD, and hypertension with dizziness were denied. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of hypertension with dizziness.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was rated at 10 percent prior to June 25, 2016, and at 20 percent from June 25, 2016. The claim for an increased rating has been denied as the evidence does not show that a higher rating is warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with no pre-existing condition noted at entry or separation from service. The claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his bilateral hearing loss was denied on both schedular and extra-schedular grounds. The Board found that the available schedular evaluations adequately described his disability level, and there were no exceptional or unusual factors rendering application of these standards impractical.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and hearing loss in the right ear, finding no evidence of current disabilities or in-service injuries that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to address the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete reasoning in the VA audiologist's opinion and potential additional relevant treatment records.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, unspecified, with trauma related features is found to be service-connected. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.