Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to his active service and grants this claim. However, the Board finds no evidence of an in-service injury or disease for the left ankle condition and denies this claim.

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability had its onset during service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the January 1956 rating decision denying service connection was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and there were no informal or formal claims within a year prior to November 4, 2009.

The Veteran withdrew from appellate consideration the issues on appeal, including the increased rating claim for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, and the service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, glaucoma, bilateral gynecomastia, status post subcutaneous mastectomy, left and right knee disorders, left and right shoulder disorders, a cervical spine disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is granted since July 18, 2016, with a 20 percent rating. The previous ratings are denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected left lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection for bilateral pes planus and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain are denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable (zero percent) on a schedular basis, and the Board has referred the issue for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss after October 13, 2016. Prior to that date, the Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

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

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, which is currently at issue. The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss will be remanded due to inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between in-service noise exposure and his current condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 30 percent since August 3, 2015, based on the severity of his hearing impairment as determined by VA audiometric evaluations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was previously denied, and the Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen this claim. The issue of a rating in excess of 70 percent for major depressive disorder from August 21, 2013 remains on appeal.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred in or due to his active duty service. As such, the claims for service connection are granted.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was rated at 10 percent prior to September 22, 2017 and remains at 10 percent from that date. The Board found the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's back condition is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after his military service and there is no evidence linking the current disability to service.,Bilateral hearing loss was not shown to have occurred in service, did not manifest for several years thereafter, and is not related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative disc disease (neck pain) was denied. His bilateral hearing loss and analgesic nephropathy (kidney pain) claims were granted, with the latter being secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation guidelines.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are attributable to in-service noise exposure, thus granting service connection for these conditions. The psychiatric disorder claim is remanded as it pertains to a different issue.

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