Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Veteran was granted a 70 percent evaluation for his PTSD with depressive disorder effective July 13, 2012. He is also entitled to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not render him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, left leg and foot disability, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, residuals of a left shoulder injury, and migraines. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not have its clinical onset during or as a result of service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable due to the severity of his condition, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was within the scope of his earlier claim for hearing loss, and he should be granted an effective date of December 12, 1995.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the onset and relationship of left ear hearing loss and tinnitus to service, specifically periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no current disability. The Veteran's residual scar from knee surgery has been rated as non-compensable due to lack of painful or unstable characteristics.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied by the Board, as his audiometric findings did not meet the schedular criteria to warrant such a rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD and another VA examination to determine if his bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his military service. The TDIU claim will also be remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need to obtain his military personnel records and clarify whether all of his Army National Guard service treatment records are in the file. A VA examination is also needed for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including obtaining service treatment records and VA medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with no presumption or secondary connection involved.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, effective from July 28, 2010. The Veteran's claim was not factually ascertainable prior to this date.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. He is also granted an effective date of April 29, 2009 for the award of special monthly compensation due to loss of use of a creative organ.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic otitis media has been withdrawn. The Board is dismissing the appeal.