Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's bilateral hallux valgus has been rated at 10 percent since August 1993. His hearing loss disability, evaluated as Level I in both ears, does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability, rated at 50 percent since December 6, 2004, has been found to be so severe as to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience prior to November 1, 2006.

The Board found no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability related to service, and denied the claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his service. The VA examiners concluded that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's hearing loss or tinnitus were caused by noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be incurred during service and is granted. The psychiatric disorder claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for all issues listed on the title page.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to July 31, 2009 for service connection and increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities were also denied.,His claim for a higher rating for his compression fracture L1 with chronic low back pain was denied.

The Veteran's appeal of the denial of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board finds that the Veteran has satisfied the requirements for presumptive service connection for hypertension, and service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his period of active duty service. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis for hearing loss, lung condition (asbestos exposure), and heart condition (herbicide exposure). However, additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and obstructive sleep apnea are service-connected. The decision also indicates that a claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a hearing to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that there is no post-service diagnosis of tinnitus and the Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is denied. The issue of bilateral hearing loss was addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was manifested by level VIII hearing acuity, which does not warrant a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on both issues of right ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining medical records and examining his employability given his service-connected disabilities. His claims for secondary psychiatric disorder and increased ratings are also pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new medical opinion on the nature and etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus was granted. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his in-service combat experience, while his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown until decades after service and are unrelated to military service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the criteria for ratings under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities do not warrant such a rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service, nor is there sufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and military noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, including noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection.