Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss, hepatitis B, hyperaldosteronism, hypertension, and hypokalemia are all found to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete development and need for additional examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after all necessary steps are taken.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The issues of rating for bilateral hearing loss and reopening the otitis media claim are no longer before the Board.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have had its onset during service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension are being remanded due to further development needs.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's dementia, bilateral hearing loss, hypertensive vascular disease, and degenerative disc syndrome are related to service due to exposure to asbestos.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not incurred during service due to noise exposure, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the ratings for prostate cancer and bilateral hearing loss, citing previous requests to withdraw. As a result, there are no issues remaining for appellate consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that the criteria for a higher rating were not met for his bilateral knee disabilities, but granted an additional 10 percent rating for instability of each knee.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is still pending.

The Board has determined that there is no probative evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service, including noise exposure. As a result, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to April 29, 2014 was denied. The effective date of service connection for the condition on the basis of CUE in a March 1992 decision was also denied. TDIU was not addressed due to its being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective date for hearing loss was denied as the submitted records were not relevant to the August 1988 rating decision and he did not file any additional claims after that.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, effective from July 18, 2016. The non-compensable rating was previously in effect prior to that date.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30% prior to March 21, 2011 and increased to 50% from March 21, 2011 to October 15, 2012. From October 16, 2012, the Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70%. The TDIU claim is granted effective September 1, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current service-connected disabilities for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, or hepatitis C. The claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations, and thus his claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to January 16, 2015 was denied. From January 16, 2015 to June 14, 2015, the Veteran received a 30 percent rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. Effective from June 15, 2015, he is entitled to a 50 percent rating.