Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were found not to be related to his active service. The Board denied the claims for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and did not experience any in-service noise exposure or acoustic trauma. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, as likely as not, preclude him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment. The Board finds that the service-connected disabilities are of sufficient severity to preclude the Veteran from maintaining gainful employment and TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not rated higher than the current noncompensable rating. The Board found no in-service event related to strokes and dementia, and denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes in either ear, and thus service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The January 2017 VA examination report could not provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed bilateral shoulder conditions due to significant limitations in range of motion and guarding during testing.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic headaches and found that the appellant's current condition is causally related to his in-service injury. The issue of increased rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 29, 2015, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter remains pending.

The Board has found that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling VA examinations to address his psychiatric disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, and eye disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and a need for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to determine if his current hearing loss is related to service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine.

The Board has granted service connection for traumatic arthritis of the right knee and left ear hearing loss disability. Service connection was denied for a right ear hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's rectal cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his active service. The evidence does not show these conditions during or within one year after service, nor is there any competent medical opinion linking them to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his military service, and thus denied the claim. The remaining claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disorder, and right leg disorder are remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to bilateral hearing loss, and the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a current diagnosis under VA regulations.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 50 percent for coxa vara, right hip, and for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative joint disease, right knee.

The Veteran's appeal for Parkinson's disease was withdrawn. The claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been reopened due to new evidence received since the March 1971 rating decision, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims of service connection.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling VA examinations for the Veteran's hearing loss and arthritis claims. The case will be returned to the AOJ after this development.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical opinions and updated VA treatment records.

The Board has ordered additional examinations and remanded the case for further development due to the need for updated assessments of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA medical records and a new examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability.