Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, effective August 6, 2014. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating.

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

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied secondary service connection for a vertigo disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss is found to have begun during active duty service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and personnel information, as well as for a new VA audiological examination. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, as evidenced by in-service noise exposure during combat. The claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ear hearing loss and headache disorder. The Veteran did not have a current disability for VA purposes, and there was no clear and unmistakable evidence that his headaches preexisted service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted from July 1, 2007 to July 6, 2009. From July 7, 2009 onwards, the Veteran no longer met the criteria for a 30 percent disability rating.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss disabilities are likely related to his military service, with aggravation due to pre-existing conditions. The headache disability is also found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status is being remanded due to an inextricably intertwined issue of service connection for blindness. The case will be returned to the Board after resolving this issue.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss from January 30, 2001 and a rating in excess of 10 percent from August 19, 2003 to April 2, 2005 was denied. The Board also found that the criteria for a TDIU prior to April 2, 2005 were not met.

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

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service. As such, service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment prior to February 13, 2017.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not service-connected as there is no current disability for VA compensation purposes.,There is no evidence of a skin condition of the hands that is related to his service-connected tinea pedis. The Veteran's dry skin on the hands was likely due to another condition, such as psoriasis.,The Veteran's skin condition of the feet is not service-connected as there is no current disability for VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no worse than a Level I hearing loss in the left ear and a Level II hearing loss in the right ear, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination. The examiner will determine if the Veteran has current hearing loss and whether it is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining complete VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for appropriate VA examinations to assess the current severity of his disabilities. The Veteran must also be scheduled for a new examination before service connection can be decided on the merits for bilateral hearing loss.