Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on the issues of bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoidectomy ratings, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, which is related to service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the absence of representation. The Missouri Veterans Commission must be given an opportunity to offer arguments on his behalf before the case can be returned to the Board.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder and finds that new evidence supports a finding of nexus between his in-service injury and current disability. The claims for tinnitus and hearing loss are also granted.

The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.,Service connection has been established based on in-service noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus had their onset in service, warranting service connection for these conditions. The left ear hearing loss issue is remanded as it requires additional development.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss and hypertension. However, additional development is needed to determine if there is a nexus between current disabilities and military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed back and nervous conditions are not related to his service, and therefore denied these claims. The hearing loss disability is considered service-connected.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have had their onset during service, with the opinion that these conditions were present since service. As a result, both conditions are granted service connection.

The Veteran's asthma, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus claims were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating for asthma or service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board has determined that additional examinations and opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The skin disability claim, which was expanded to include all disabilities of the skin, remains pending.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. However, the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, including noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a hearing loss disability in his right ear as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 30, 2012, for the grant of service connection for ischemic heart disease has been granted. The effective date is set at January 31, 2011.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus and denied his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, degenerative joint disease, bilateral hearing loss, COPD, carpal tunnel syndromes, and kidney failure. The evidence submitted since the final decisions raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and low back disability, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a threshold shift in hearing during service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current conditions are due to service.