Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records, private medical records, and a VA examination for his claimed disabilities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disability (tinea versicolor) are all service-connected. The decision also notes that the Veteran's in-service exposure to combat noise trauma likely contributed to his current conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule VA examinations for his claimed conditions. The appeals will be reconsidered after the additional information and evaluations are obtained.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a videoconference Board hearing. The claims will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not caused by his exposure to excessive noise during military service, leading to a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right and left knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral foot disability are not related to his active service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure during his active duty service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of continuous symptoms since service and the current condition is not causally related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for cervical spine disability prior to September 11, 2013, and for a rating higher than 40 percent thereafter is also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds no basis for a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.

The appeal is being remanded for an updated VA examination to assess the Veteran's current level of bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran has requested such an update due to indications of worsening since the last VA examination and the lack of adequate evidence of record to rate the condition at this time.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, and no higher rating is warranted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss in March 2014, but new evidence submitted by the Veteran has not raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim.,Service connection is granted for a left elbow disability as it had its onset during active duty.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and vision disorder (claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear/bilateral hearing loss has been denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and did not address whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his kidney condition claim. The skin disability claim was not addressed as it is not related to service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development and a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The right shoulder issue remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss in his right ear is causally related to service, including noise exposure during military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service and that current hearing loss is not related to noise exposure during service.