Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is supported by competent medical evidence and his lay testimony. The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss requires further development before being decided on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss was not aggravated by his active military service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

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

The Board has granted effective dates of December 1, 2005 for the award of TDIU and DEA eligibility under accrued benefits purposes.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to consider any new evidence submitted since the last decision.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, thus denying these claims.

The Board has determined that the earliest date of a pending claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is August 9, 2011. As such, an earlier effective date is not warranted.

The Veteran's appeal involves a claim for higher initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss, both on a schedular and extra-schedular basis. The Board has remanded the case to consider whether an extra-schedular rating is warranted.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service, including exposure to hazardous noise during that time.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable prior to April 5, 2016. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable rating for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable prior to August 27, 2013 and at a 10 percent rating from that date until January 14, 2017. From January 14, 2017, the Veteran is rated at 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Board denied an increased rating beyond this point.

The Board found no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss to his military service, including noise exposure. The claim for service connection was therefore denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his educational and occupational background. Therefore, the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is appropriately evaluated at 0 percent disabling during the entire appeal period, and therefore a compensable rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's right hip strain is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available. His bilateral hearing loss does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and determined that new evidence received since the final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure.