Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to his in-service acoustic trauma, and his tinnitus is a result of his service-connected hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that there is no current disability due to his claimed condition attributable to active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has increased in severity since his last VA examination. The Board is remanding the case to provide an opportunity for a new VA audiological evaluation and to obtain any outstanding records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including new VA examinations.

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

The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders not otherwise specified are rated at 70 percent since July 30, 2012. The appeal is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating. The Veteran also does not meet the criteria for TDIU as he has one disability rated at least 40% and his combined evaluation is less than 70%. His other disabilities are not sufficient to bring his combined evaluation to 70%.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right knee disability, arthritis of the right knee, bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, back condition, and peripheral neuropathy, have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease that caused or aggravated these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that his current hearing loss is not causally related to his active service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted due to continuous post-service symptoms of these conditions, which are considered presumptive under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to December 12, 2012 is being remanded as the evidence shows he has been unable to work due to service-connected disabilities since at least December 2010.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss that was incurred in or aggravated by service. The evidence did not show any chronicity of sensorineural hearing loss, and there is no medical opinion linking his current hearing loss to military noise exposure or a scar on his eardrum.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure or in-service noise exposure sufficient to establish a nexus with current disabilities. The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder did not meet criteria for TDIU.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, hypohidrosis (inability to sweat), headaches, hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) as he withdrew these issues during his February 2018 hearing. The claim for an initial 100 percent rating for PTSD is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's claims for migraine headaches, right shoulder disability, and lower back disability are remanded.,Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current disability that began during or was aggravated by service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and remanded the issues of rating for back disability, service connection for bronchitis/asthma, and service connection for sleep disturbance.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was set at April 14, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including those for service connection and increased ratings. The issues include PTSD, jaw disability, right shoulder degenerative joint disease, right knee degenerative joint disease, bilateral hearing loss, peripheral vestibular disorder, kidney stones, and persistent depressive disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. Service connection is also granted for back, right ankle, eye, sinus, and COPD disabilities. However, rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of colon cancer remains remanded.