Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, by themselves or in concert, have not been sufficient at any time during the period of the claim to render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and right foot disability due to insufficient development, including obtaining additional opinions from VA examiners regarding etiology.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hearing loss and vertigo are related to VA surgeries in May 2000 and December 2000. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion addressing these issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing before an Acting Veterans Law Judge.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and left ear hearing loss, as well as his claim for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted presumptive service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on continuous symptoms since service separation, which meets the criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current hearing loss, bronchitis, frequent headaches, or vision changes to his active service. The claims for these conditions were therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a noncompensable disability rating, and an earlier effective date prior to July 25, 2007, for the award of the 10 percent rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and other procedural issues. The claims will be reconsidered after these matters are addressed.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes during the appeal period, and therefore denied his claim of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and therefore, his claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied. For left ear hearing loss, the evidence shows that the Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss in the frequency range of 500-4000 Hz has been rated as Level I under Diagnostic Code 6100.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or lumbar DDD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service acoustic trauma, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, including exposure to loud noise during his duties as a pharmacist's mate.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a valid audiogram and considering an extraschedular rating due to the interference with employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Board determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and atrial fibrillation are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues including ratings for PTSD, anxiety disorder, bilateral hearing loss, right knee condition with osteoarthritis and scars, and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis. The case is being remanded to schedule the Veteran for a videoconference hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, CHF and COPD, were not service-connected.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not incurred in service and is not etiologically related to his military service.,The Veteran's actinic keratosis was not incurred in service and is not etiologically related to his military service.