Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating greater than 10 percent for his bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the evidence did not meet the schedular criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not begin during service, was not caused by his military service, and is not otherwise etiologically related to his military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been denied.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss of the left and right ears, as well as service connection for a back disability and PTSD. The Veteran's claim to reopen these claims was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent, and his PTSD is rated at 70 percent. The TDIU claim is granted.

The Board found insufficient evidence to grant service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or hypertension. The Veteran's claims were denied as the medical opinions did not support a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss did not manifest in service, were not continuous since service, were not shown to a compensable degree within one year of separation from service, and are not etiologically related to his active service. The Veteran's chronic cough, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and tinea pedis/tinea cruris are also not caused by or otherwise etiologically related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The AOJ is instructed to obtain clarifying opinions from a suitably qualified VA examiner.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset during service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence linking his current condition to service. The Veteran was denied service connection for this disability.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has not met the criteria for a compensable disability rating since January 11, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran does not have hearing loss in the right ear that meets VA's criteria for a disability, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claim for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional VA treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not meet the criteria for service connection as they were not shown to be related to her military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for scheduled VA examinations. The issues of service connection for various conditions are being reviewed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he does not have a hearing loss disability within the meaning of VA regulations.,For cluster headaches, the Veteran is currently rated noncompensably (0%) because his headaches are short duration and do not result in lost work time.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected, and he has a compensable disability rating for hearing loss in the left ear. The Veteran's peripheral vascular disease of the legs is rated at 20 percent each, with no higher ratings due to lack of ulceration or massive edema.,Service connection is denied for sleep disorder (presumably insomnia) as secondary to service-connected peripheral vascular disease of the legs. Service connection is also denied for left shoulder pain as not related to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his active service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during service. The Board finds the VA audiologist's opinion to be most probative in determining that these disabilities are not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin cancer was dismissed as the appeal was withdrawn.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability were granted based on new evidence.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a diagnosis of these conditions during service. The VA examiner could not provide an opinion without resorting to speculation due to missing frequency specific testing at separation.