Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active duty service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,New and material evidence has been received to reopen his claims for service connection of a bilateral leg/knee condition and back condition. Further development is needed before these claims can be adjudicated.

The Veteran's lung cancer was not service-connected as it did not manifest in service and there is no evidence linking the condition to asbestos exposure or any other inservice event.,There are no diagnosed cold weather injury residuals, and thus service connection for cold weather injuries cannot be granted. The Veteran had no documented cold weather injuries during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as it is currently rated as noncompensably disabling.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew his appeal in a letter dated May 25, 2017.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is linked to injury or disease incurred in active service, specifically due to noise exposure during his time in combat in Korea. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations, and thus denied his claim for an increased rating.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to have its onset during service due to noise exposure, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for body fatigue, weakness and pain due to an undiagnosed illness, bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, psychiatric disorder (including dementia and depression), and cardiovascular disease (including status post myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure).

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as Level I in both ears, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation. The Board finds the VA examinations to be sufficiently compliant with VA regulations and affords them great probative value.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to active service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the criteria for referral for extraschedular consideration were not met, and thus did not grant this issue. For TDIU, the Veteran meets the schedular criteria as he has one disability rated at least 60 percent disabling (bilateral hearing loss). He is also unemployable due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The Board granted TDIU.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is found to be present during his military service and causally related to noise exposure, warranting the grant of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a Travel Board hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence showing that the disability warrants a higher evaluation at any time during the appeal process. The issue of service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to PTSD, remains pending.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent since August 25, 2010.

The Veteran's hypertension and right ear hearing loss were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied. Right ear hearing loss was not shown to be continuous since service.