Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent and no higher, as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection has been granted for major depressive disorder secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Joint pain (bilateral knee osteoarthritis), neck disorder (cervical spine arthritis), and back disorder (lumbar spine arthritis) have not met the criteria for service connection as they are not shown to be related to service or within one year of separation from service.,Left ankle disorder, vision disorder (refractive error of the eye), bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, and sleep disorder have not been established as service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Heart disorder has not met the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The cases of bilateral hearing loss and a psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, and hearing loss, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from October 15, 2012 to December 15, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and service connection for right ear hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for new VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including sleep disorder (to include sleep apnea), cold injury residuals of the hands, low back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, stroke, craniotomy, and headaches have been denied. The cases are remanded to obtain clarification on the Veteran’s periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA, and for further medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to unclear dates of Army Reserve service and incomplete STRs. The AOJ is also asked to verify the Veteran’s exposure to radiation while working as a telecommunication specialist near radars at Fort Hood, Texas, and his exposure to herbicides and pesticides while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether left ear hearing loss is related to service and if it is caused or aggravated by right ear hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a back disorder, a right hip disorder, and initial ratings for his right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete examinations and lack of medical evidence supporting the diagnoses.

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

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a chronic condition during or within one year after service, and the Veteran's current symptoms are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability is granted as new and material evidence has been submitted. The Veteran was denied service connection in December 1993 due to lack of evidence, but the current submission includes allegations by the Veteran regarding an injury during military training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and additional medical records establishing a current back disability.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for an eye disability is denied. The Veteran has been diagnosed with refractive error, mild allergic conjunctivitis, bilateral senile cataracts, and open angle glaucoma suspected. His current hearing loss was not caused by or related to his diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted as there is evidence of a current disability (sensorineural hearing loss) and in-service acoustic trauma has been conceded. The Veteran's hearing was normal at discharge, but he developed sensorineural hearing loss many years after service without continuity of symptomatology.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability (tinnitus).,The Veteran's claim of service connection for Barrett's esophagus is denied. The Veteran does not have, and has not had during the period on appeal, a disability consisting of colon polyps.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for colon polyps, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and GERD are all denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to his active service.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is denied. The Veteran does not have, and has not had during the period on appeal, a disability consisting of colon polyps.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for diverticulitis is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to his active service.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for hemorrhoids is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to his active service.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for GERD is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete examination records and the need for further development.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess current disability levels.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's neck and back conditions are remanded for further examination to determine if they were caused or aggravated by his periods of active duty, inactive duty training, or pre-existing scoliosis. His hearing loss is also remanded for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since the appeal period began, as his pure tone thresholds and speech recognition scores have not met criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, tinnitus, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been granted service connection. The Veteran's PTSD has also been granted a 70 percent rating.,Service connection for hearing loss was dismissed.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, and the Board finds that his statements about difficulty hearing do not warrant a higher rating.