Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was granted. Effective dates were not assigned for other claims due to lack of information.

The Veteran's appeal regarding bilateral upper extremity frostbite residuals was withdrawn. The claim for service connection for a deviated septum has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's deviated septum, bilateral pes planus, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. Service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between service and hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and pseudofolliculitis barbae and folliculitis with an effective date of June 19, 2000.

The Board has decided the appeal is remanded due to the need for additional evidence, including Social Security Administration records and VA treatment records. A new VA audiology examination is also required.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active service. Service connection was also granted for tinnitus but not for a sinus disorder due to lack of evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, with no current evidence of intercurrent causes. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no request to reopen the claims was made before June 12, 2008.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran requested to withdraw all issues on appeal before the Board could make a decision, thus dismissing the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and obtaining dose data from the Department of Defense regarding his radiation exposure in service. The skin cancer claim will also be developed further.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be related to service, but the tinnitus claim requires additional development as a statement of the case has not been issued.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to military service, as evidenced by a normal separation audiogram without significant threshold shifts and no evidence of noise exposure during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to his military service and grants this claim. The right ear hearing loss disability claim, originally filed as a bilateral hearing loss disability, has been reopened due to new evidence received since the last denial.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have had their onset in service, with the VHA expert opining that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability had its onset in service with acoustic trauma from extensive noise exposure while playing the French horn in the band. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service, and the Board finds that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the Veteran. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is granted.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for clarification of the April 2011 VA examination findings, including a new opinion on the etiology of his current hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for left hand disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for Hepatitis C and Diabetes Mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, in conjunction with his education and work history, rendered him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment from February 14, 2013.