Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss for VA purposes, and therefore service connection cannot be granted.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing at the earliest available opportunity. The Veteran's request to have the hearing held at the VA Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon is noted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disorder. The Veteran's skin condition is found to be at least in equipoise with service connection due to his exposure during service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and his TBI residuals are rated at 40 percent for headaches. The Board has granted a TDIU rating based on the combined service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical opinions to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for respiratory disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and pharyngitis. The issues on appeal are related to whether these conditions are related to military service or secondary to other service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a right knee disorder. The initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss was not granted.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and PTSD do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss. For left ear hearing loss, the Veteran's disability is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a new VA opinion on service connection and a vocational specialist's opinion regarding TDIU.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's left ear hearing loss was aggravated by or related to noise exposure during his military service. As such, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran was granted service connection for the residuals of a left biceps injury, including reduced muscle strength. He is also granted a higher rating for his headaches starting from June 15, 2010.,A separate 10 percent rating is assigned for occasional dizziness related to his headaches.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability had onset during his active service, and the Board finds credible and competent the Veteran's account of noise exposure in service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for various issues related to his service-connected conditions, including a TDIU claim, was dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals of Issues 1-6 on the title page. The Board granted a TDIU from November 1, 2011, to November 18, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has not resulted in a compensable disability rating as the audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran wishes to withdraw his appeal seeking to reopen a service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is not related to his active service, as the condition did not manifest within one year of separation and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The Board finds that the weight of the evidence demonstrates that the current hearing loss is not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral pes planus (flat feet) were denied. The Board finds that further development is required to determine the appropriate service connection theory.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee degenerative joint disease, and left knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's current disabilities are deemed to be directly related to his active duty service.