Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected, but granted service connection for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, as well as his requests for increased ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and is not related to his military noise exposure. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to an inservice injury, event, or disease and has been granted service connection.

The combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities make him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is consistent in morphology with noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasoning in its decision, and a new VA examination is required to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating under VA's schedular criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for hearing loss prior to May 28, 2014 and found that leukoplakia was not service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting its connection to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not related to his military service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax was denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, and the criteria for a higher evaluation are not met for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax prior to March 20, 2014 or from March 20, 2014 onwards.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling new examinations. The claims will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, and therefore denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, chronic otitis media status (right ear disability), and right ankle disability are all rated at the maximum available under their respective diagnostic codes. The appeal is denied as there is no basis for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of acoustic trauma or noise exposure during service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's tinnitus was due to his existing hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his PTSD symptoms and their impact on his ability to work.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inadequate VA examination and compliance with the Board's June 2015 remand directives. The case will be readjudicated after obtaining new evidence and opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and attempts to obtain his 2013 audiological evaluation. The TDIU issue is also inextricably intertwined with the hearing loss rating claim.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking increases in the ratings assigned for bilateral hearing loss, and therefore the matter is dismissed.