Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, as he did not meet the legal requirements for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and private treatment records. The Veteran should also be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a lumbar spine disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his VA treatment records and medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely the result of noise exposure during his active military service, and therefore he has met the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as zero percent since August 7, 2014. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran is not entitled to TDIU because his combined service-connected disability rating does not meet the percentage requirements and there is no additional service-connected disability bringing the combined rating to 70 percent or more.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic condition during service, and the Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 6260. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has not been assigned a compensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his period of active service, including a perforated right eardrum during basic training. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The Board finds the contemporaneous statements from the September 1966 Report of Medical History at the time of service separation more probative than later statements made during the course of an appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to June 17, 2016, and no more than 50 percent thereafter. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and disabilities manifested by numbness or light-headedness are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, even in a quiet environment with infrequent interpersonal interactions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, entitlement to service connection for cardiomyopathy, to include as secondary to hypertension, and entitlement to a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was rated at 20 percent since October 28, 2016, based on the VA audiological examination conducted in October 2016.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's disability evaluation schedule.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for an updated examination. The RO needs to properly notify the Veteran of the time and place of the re-scheduled hearing loss examination.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, while hypertension is not due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus (DM), and ED was not caused or aggravated by DM.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical examinations and a need for additional development, including obtaining new examination reports and opinions. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that his hearing loss does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations.

Service connection is granted for multiple myeloma as due to herbicide exposure, and service connection is denied for bone cancer.,Service connection is granted for DVT as secondary to multiple myeloma, and service connection is denied for a lung disability (including mesothelioma) and prostate disorder. Bilateral hearing loss is also service connected.