Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss was aggravated by his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is attributable to service, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10% prior to February 20, 2013 and 30% after July 13, 2017. The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70%. Both conditions have not met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as they are presumed to have been incurred during active duty due to noise exposure. The Veteran's current hearing loss is also related to his service in Vietnam.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, as well as her requests for higher ratings. The case is remanded for further action on some of the issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear disability, finding no nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

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

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, back disorder, hypertension (secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder), erectile dysfunction, chronic headache disorder, left and right lower extremity disorders, and acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete compliance with previous remands.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service-connected TBI with memory loss, and thus grants service connection for this condition on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's initial claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current disability rating of 10% is maintained based on the most recent VA examination results, which indicated a noncompensable rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to missing service treatment records and VA/SSA medical records. The claims include entitlement to service connection for various disabilities, including a low back disability, right leg disability, bilateral foot disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD), respiratory disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, muscle pain, joint pain, and fatigue due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for bilateral hearing loss due to issues with scheduling a VA examination, and to obtain additional relevant treatment records.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and eczema, as their ratings are currently below what they claim. The Veteran will need to undergo new VA examinations for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as service-connected. Service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the Veteran's claim for service connection for allergic rhinitis, as the Veteran withdrew his appeal from this issue. The other issues were remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and left renal cell carcinoma, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between the current disability and service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and left knee disability were originally denied. The claims are now reopened due to new evidence provided by the Veteran, including testimony at his Board hearing regarding current treatment. The claims for service connection are remanded for further development.