Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after his military service, and there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service. The cervical spine disorder was also not shown to be related to service.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus have not been found to warrant a compensable rating, but service connection for both conditions has been granted. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, depression, and/or anxiety, cannot be established as the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis. The Board acknowledges that he served in combat but lacks supporting documentation.,The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone have not rendered him unemployable, and the preponderance of evidence does not support a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability has been rated at 100% since August 22, 2016. The Board finds that he is entitled to a TDIU effective from March 3, 2011, based on his unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with noise exposure being a significant factor.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board found that the current disability is not related to his military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sarcoidosis is at least as likely as not related to his active duty military service, and thus grants service connection for sarcoidosis. The issue of left ear hearing loss is addressed in a separate remand.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 50 percent effective January 9, 2017. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted prior to this date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since March 6, 2013.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not linked to his service, specifically noting that there was no significant threshold shift during service and that the Veteran did not experience hearing loss until several years after separation from service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not etiologically related to his military service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his military service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, including any noise exposure. The case is REMANDED for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of his claims, including a review of the medical evidence to determine if his left ear hearing loss is related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they likely originated during active service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the appellant's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted, and the Board finds that his tinnitus is etiologically related to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is incurred in service and his adenocarcinoma of the prostate with urinary stress incontinence is not related to service, including herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with the Board finding that reasonable doubt should be resolved in favor of the Veteran.