Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss and remanded it. The Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip disorder and right hip disorder are denied as there is no evidence showing a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his service, including ACDUTRA. The balance disorder was determined to have pre-existed his service and was not aggravated during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss for VA purposes, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher effective date for service connection of his low back disability. The claim to reopen for vision disability was also denied as no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from engaging in substantially gainful employment, and therefore the criteria for a TDIU have not been met.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss did not meet VA disability criteria and was not related to his military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. As a result, the Board dismisses this issue.

The Veteran's TBI residuals were granted with a 10% rating prior to October 23, 2008 and a 30% rating thereafter. The cognitive impairment was also granted with a 10% rating as of October 23, 2008.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he asserts is due to in-service noise exposure. The Board finds that a VA audiological examination should be scheduled to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has resulted in no worse than level II hearing acuity in the right ear and level IV in the left ear, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of such conditions during service or within one year after separation. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss but did not find any current diagnosis for his claimed right rib disorder or right foot disorder.,The decision denied all issues related to service connection due to lack of evidence linking the disabilities to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU due to their combined rating of 60 percent, which is less than the minimum schedular requirement of 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 20 percent from December 29, 2010 to February 6, 2011 and at 10 percent from February 7, 2011 to June 19, 2016. The claim for a higher rating is denied as the disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent from June 20, 2016.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is manifested by level I or II hearing in each ear, and does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by his service-connected disabilities, specifically bilateral hearing loss and epidermophytosis of the feet. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's left eye disorder is service-connected as it was caused by the in-service PRK surgery.,There is no evidence of a right eye disorder being related to service. The current diagnosis of dry eyes with superficial corneal changes may be due to chronic lens wear, not in-service PRK.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely related to acoustic trauma during service.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were caused or aggravated by service, including exposure to noise. Therefore, both conditions are granted as service connected.