Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and cervical spine arthritis. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its pre-service status.

The Veteran's back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with all evidence in relative equipoise. Therefore, service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is adequately rated under the applicable rating criteria, and thus denied a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability has been granted. The Board also found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression, is related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to schedule a Travel Board hearing. The Veteran's claims for service connection and reopening of peptic ulcer disease claim are still pending.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss is REMANDED.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for entitlement to DIC benefits due to his death being caused by a condition not related to service.

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

The Veteran's appeal was remanded by the Board in April 2015. The case is now being returned to the Board for further development and consideration of his claims, including whether his service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable from November 30, 2007 to July 14, 2015 and as 20 percent disabling thereafter. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right knee was rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus that is related to his active duty service. The evidence shows no complaints of hearing loss prior to 2010, and there are no records indicating any in-service noise exposure leading to these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's appeal of the August 2013 rating decision was not timely received, and thus denied the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for asbestosis and bilateral hearing loss, and entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for aid and attendance or homebound status were denied. The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was also denied.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his current test results do not meet the criteria for an increased evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete audiometric evaluations. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to a compensable rating prior to June 22, 2013, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for bilateral hearing loss is pending.