Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as evidenced by post-service occupational noise exposure with hearing protection. The claims of entitlement to service connection for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for prostate cancer due to new evidence. However, both the prostate cancer and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability claims are denied as there is no direct link between these conditions and service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss as there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since September 10, 2015. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric results did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or a left foot disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as Level II in all VA audiology examinations conducted during the appeal period, resulting in a non-compensable rating. The Board found that the Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and found no current right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently rated as non-compensable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes mellitus, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that he is unable to secure or follow such employment due to his age and the nature of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is as likely as not attributable to in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, as well as his claims for increased ratings and special monthly compensation. The appeals were based on various conditions including Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, genitourinary impairment, and vertebral fracture.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been rendered moot due to the complete grant of benefits sought on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, encompassing all her listed conditions as part of the grant for fibromyalgia/polyarthralgia. The specific disabilities are not shown to be related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. For chronic fatigue syndrome, the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether it was incurred during military service due to exposure to environmental hazards in the Gulf War.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for any of his claimed conditions, and thus cannot establish service connection.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was granted in June 2010. The case has been remanded due to a claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the April 1999 rating decision denying service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss disabilities are service-connected, with the right ear hearing loss being attributed to aggravation by in-service acoustic trauma and the left ear hearing loss being due to noise exposure during basic training.