Hearing loss decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and there is no evidence of tinnitus within one year after service separation. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be established.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were incurred during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with evidence indicating they were caused by in-service acoustic trauma. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and hypertension claims. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, low back disability, and skin disability were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss has been granted, with the effective date set at August 30, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his active service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records, as well as for a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of any diagnosed right hand and right ankle disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or left ankle disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to his service-connected tinnitus, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

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

The Board found the reduction of the rating for bilateral hearing loss from 80% to 10% was proper based on improvement in hearing acuity as shown by a May 2009 VA examination.,For the period prior to September 1, 2012, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the schedular criteria for a rating in excess of 80%. From September 1, 2012 to October 1, 2015, it did not meet the schedular criteria for a rating in excess of 10%, and since October 2, 2015, it did not meet the schedular criteria for a rating in excess of 40%.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, left ear hearing loss disability, and left knee disability. The claim for an increased rating for bipolar disorder was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss or eustachian tube dysfunction for VA compensation purposes. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a skin disorder. However, it determined that there was no nexus between the current hearing loss disability and active service due to lack of in-service noise exposure. The tinnitus issue is also not related to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have manifested within one year of separation from service, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further development.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or chronic thoracolumbar spine disability for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection for these conditions. The Board also determined there was insufficient evidence to link any current back condition to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional etiology opinions and updated treatment records. The case will be returned to the Board for further appellate consideration.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent since October 3, 1978. The most recent VA examination in March 2016 showed Level II hearing acuity in the right ear and Level V hearing acuity in the left ear, warranting a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss. This is not sufficient to meet the criteria for a higher rating.