Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and further examination is required.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues on appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has found that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is etiologically related to his military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or sleep apnea that is related to his active military service. The claim for service connection for these conditions is therefore denied.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for coronary artery disease, and service connection claims for a left eye disability with 20/50 vision, amblyopia of the right eye, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination for his bilateral hearing loss and an evaluation of his coronary artery disease. The TDIU claim will be deferred until the increased rating claims are resolved.

The VA has determined that the appellant's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as 40 percent disabling, and the appeal for an increased rating has been denied. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on current functional impairment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional information and evidence, including VA examinations for his claimed bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and low back disability. The issues of service connection are pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded due to the need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of his current hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of outstanding private treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has manifested as auditory thresholds and word recognition scores that are noncompensable, resulting in a denial of the claim for a compensable disability rating.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they were incurred during his active duty in Vietnam, where he was exposed to loud noise from artillery firing. The VA examiner concluded that the current hearing impairment is not due to events in service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, as the evidence did not show it was at least as likely as not that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation solely due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are now rated at 40 percent effective May 5, 2017.

The Veteran's initial rating for migraine and tension headaches has been granted at a 50 percent level, effective from the date of claim. The right knee disability is rated at 10 percent, effective from the date of claim.