Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to scheduling issues for a Travel Board hearing. The appeals will be reconsidered after the hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, while his colon or cecum cancer is not. The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be caused by in-service noise exposure, but his colon or cecum cancer was not linked to any service connection basis.

The Board has remanded the case to allow for scheduling of a videoconference hearing at the appropriate RO.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a psychiatric disability have not progressed further as the Veteran passed away.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and need for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for effective dates of February 22, 2012 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The TDIU claim is remanded as it raises new issues not previously addressed.

The Board denied a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability and granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but remanded the issue of TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death before a decision was made by the Board.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss based on aggravation during service, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated by military noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable, and the case is being remanded for further development to determine his employability.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to Crohn's disease and an increased rating of 60 percent for Crohn's disease. The Veteran also received a separate compensable rating for his bowel resection scar.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, due to exposure to herbicides or as secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II, is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the appeal for additional development, including obtaining dates of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) with the New Jersey National Guard. The Veteran's representative was also given an opportunity to review the claims file.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's level of hearing impairment did not warrant a higher rating based on the VA audiometric evaluations conducted over several years.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric results did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's right hip disability, effective from June 15, 2015. The Veteran was previously rated at 10 percent prior to this date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, vertigo, psychiatric disorder, alopecia universalis, and otitis externa are not supported by the evidence of record. The claim for service connection for a skin disorder is reopened but denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking the current condition to military service or any incident thereof. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also denied due to lack of in-service noise exposure and insufficient medical opinion regarding causation. Claims for headaches, vertigo, psychiatric disorder, alopecia universalis, and otitis externa are not addressed as they were not part of the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as he has not provided necessary financial information and his combined disability rating is less than 70%.