Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to his noise exposure during military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the claim as the Veteran's suicide was not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's account of exposure to acoustic trauma during his active military service is credible and consistent with the circumstances of his service. The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss requires further development before being decided on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain new examinations for his hypertension and bilateral hearing loss, as well as expert opinions on the Federal Register findings regarding PTSD and hypertension. The case will be returned to the Board after compliance with appellate procedures.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a broken right ankle. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded as they may impact the decision on his other claims.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disabilities are rated at the maximum allowed under VA guidelines. The diabetes mellitus, type II disability is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, while the diabetic neuropathy of the bladder disability has not yet met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's hypertension, tinnitus, and right ear hearing loss have been rated appropriately. The claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted as there are no degenerative changes of the spine within one year of separation from service. No other claims were decided.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis, acquired psychiatric disorder (including bipolar disorder), and bilateral hearing loss are not service-connected.

The Veteran's claims of service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. The claim for asbestosis is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since November 18, 2010. The Board found that the evidence did not show sufficient hearing impairment to warrant a compensable evaluation.

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

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

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, and his bilateral hearing loss claim remains denied. The low back disability issue has been remanded for further examination. Service connection is established for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure. Other claims remain pending.

The Veteran's PTSD and hearing loss have been rated at 70 percent combined, meeting the threshold for TDIU. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities result in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.