Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of a fracture of the left middle finger, hearing loss, sleep apnea, and arthritis of the hands have all been granted. The Veteran has not provided evidence that his current hearing loss disability meets VA criteria for compensation purposes.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is secondary to his service-connected tinnitus and for any updated treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) rendered him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 24, 2012. An extra-schedular evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unemployable, as the Board finds that his condition significantly impairs his employability in most occupational environments.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule VA examinations for his hearing loss, tinnitus, respiratory disorder, and skin disorder claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability is not causally related to his active service or any incident therein.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and the Board has dismissed all related claims.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied his claim. For depression, the Board determined there is no evidence of an in-service event or disease related to service, and thus denied service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an October 2011 audiogram from the Columbia VA Medical Center. The Veteran's appeal is currently in a pending state.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU prior to October 6, 2014 was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection. The disability rating for PTSD has not yet been addressed, as the issue is inextricably intertwined with other issues on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled Board videoconference hearing. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including in-service acoustic trauma. Therefore, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The case is being remanded for additional development to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine condition, and right shoulder condition. The VA examiners are asked to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his in-service noise exposure and motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and foot disabilities are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year of his military service. The current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for a chronic disability.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor is there evidence to support a presumption of service connection.

Your appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board hearing. Your claims for service connection are still pending.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The lumbar spine disability was rated at 10% prior to February 20, 2014, and 40% thereafter. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and right lower extremity were each rated as 10%. His PTSD was rated as 30%, and his left leg scar was not assigned a compensable rating.