Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensably disabling due to no worse than Level III hearing in both ears, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been granted a 20 percent rating from May 22, 2013 to October 24, 2013. For the period after October 24, 2013, no higher rating is warranted.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. Service connection for prostate cancer, secondary to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune or herbicide agent exposure, is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no probative medical evidence linking the condition to service, and it was not diagnosed during or within a year after discharge.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to service, as the evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and his military service.,The Veteran's residuals of cold weather injury in his hands and feet are denied because there is no current diagnosis or treatment records indicating such injuries.

The Board has remanded both the schedular and extraschedular evaluations for bilateral hearing loss due to unclear reasons provided in the May 2017 VA audiological examination, which used Maryland CNC word recognition scores. The examiner needs to provide a clear explanation for why these scores are inappropriate.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to noise exposure during service. The Veteran's statements about noise exposure are considered credible, but the VA examination report did not adequately address this issue.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and his TDIU claim from October 11, 2012 to July 12, 2017 was denied due to lack of evidence showing he is unemployable because of service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the current examination did not adequately address these issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further evaluation due to the current audiometric results not meeting VA disability criteria.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its onset during service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The decision on the hearing loss claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there is no current diagnosis of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the condition began during service.,Service connection for depression is denied as there is no current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's lung nodules due to asbestos exposure and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded for further evaluation as the symptoms have worsened since his last VA examinations.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of lumbar spine, cervical spine, left knee, right knee, and headaches disabilities. Additional development is needed to obtain workman's compensation records related to the Veteran’s claimed disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claims for a skin disorder and peripheral neuropathy are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinion is inadequate and new treatment records are needed. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus may be related to in-service noise exposure, but further examination and evidence collection are required.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to ambiguity in a previous VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between right ear hearing loss and service connection.