Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and foot disabilities, were not shown to be causally related to his active duty service. The evidence did not establish a nexus between any of these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim of an increased disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for Meniere's disease with a 100% rating.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The claims will be readjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be service-connected.,There is no evidence of a psychiatric disorder that began in or is related to active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss did not meet the nexus to service connection element required for entitlement to disability compensation, as there was no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional VA treatment records and a new VA audiological examination. The Veteran's hearing loss disability claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a live video conference hearing. The issues of entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right ear hearing loss, entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss, and entitlement to service connection for a left leg condition are still pending.

The Veteran's service-connected psoriatic arthritis is rated at 30 percent prior to August 10, 2011 and at 80 percent from that date. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. Service connection for tinnitus was denied.

The Board has determined that the issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for arterial hypertension is moot due to its grant. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, PTSD, and allergic rhinitis have all been found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, but his bilateral hearing loss and heart disorder are denied. The appeal for an undiagnosed illness was not addressed as it pertained to a different issue.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have originated in service and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining audiogram results and VA treatment records. The TDIU claim is also part of the pending appeal.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and determined that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA treatment records and an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's preexisting right ear hearing loss was aggravated during his period of military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be due to service, and his peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is also found to be related to service. The appeal for the upper extremities' condition has been withdrawn.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. With resolution of reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, the Board finds that his current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is as likely as not related to noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not incurred during service, specifically due to combat-related noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which he claims was caused by noise exposure during his military service. The VA examiner found no shift in hearing during his years of service and did not provide an opinion on whether the current hearing loss occurred sooner or progressed due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure. The right ear hearing loss claim was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal regarding his claim for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The right ear hearing loss claim was denied in October 2001, and no new and material evidence was received during the subsequent appeals period. The left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable due to its mild nature. Peripheral vascular disease claimed as circulatory disorder has not been linked to service.