Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and are not causally related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. Therefore, his claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is likely related to noise exposure in service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is likely the result of noise exposure in service or his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to scheduling issues and the need for a Board hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran meets both the schedular criteria for a TDIU and his service-connected bilateral hearing loss precludes him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification regarding the use of the Maryland CNC word list in determining speech recognition scores, and for additional development related to his TDIU claim.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and granted service connection, finding that there is at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence in favor of the Veteran's claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were denied increased ratings. The claim for hepatitis C disability was not reopened, and the Veteran does not have a TBI.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset in active service and is not otherwise the result of a disease or injury in qualifying service. The claim for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities was also denied as there is no evidence showing it had its onset during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service, specifically the noise exposure he experienced while serving on a Navy ship. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at a noncompensable level prior to April 5, 2012 and from February 26, 2014. However, the Board has granted a staged rating of 30% for his bilateral hearing loss from April 5, 2012 to February 25, 2014.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as non-compensable prior to May 9, 2016 and at a 10 percent rating from that date. The Board found the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and his current conditions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and service-connected tinnitus are not related, but a new examination is needed to clarify this relationship.

The Veteran's combined rating for service connected disabilities was sufficient to meet the criteria for a TDIU as of May 14, 2010. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by audiometric testing results which merit a zero percent (non-compensable) rating, and the criteria for an increased disability rating have not been met.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no periods during the appeal period when a compensable rating would be warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection may be granted, specifically bilateral ankle disability. The claims of entitlement to service connection for pes planus and bilateral hearing loss are denied.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU and his service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a lung disability and hearing loss, were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or associations with service.