Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be due to noise exposure during active service.,PTSD is not currently diagnosed, but the Veteran contends it was incurred in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected right ear hearing loss and whether his left ear hearing loss is etiologically related to active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as her claims for service connection and increased ratings are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that she does not have a current hearing loss disability, and her lumbar spine disability has not met the criteria for higher ratings at any point during the period of her appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal with respect to all issues pending before the Board, including those related to traumatic brain injury, PTSD, low back strain, patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right knee, scars of the scalp and face, tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, post-traumatic headaches, and residuals of a left elbow contusion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing a statement of the case on one of the issues.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss disability is etiologically related to service and cannot be satisfactorily disassociated from service, thus granting service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, otitis media, right ear, tinnitus, an eye condition, and residuals of a head injury. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on continuity of symptoms since service. The Veteran's current diagnoses are considered to meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional treatment records. The effective date of service connection for hearing loss needs to be addressed in a statement of the case.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for new audiometric testing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service onset or causation for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's complete service personnel records and any outstanding VA treatment records. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Board found no evidence of in-service onset or continuity of hearing loss, and the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 20 percent since the July 2010 rating decision, reflecting a significant improvement in his hearing compared to previous evaluations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and employment information. A VA examination will also be scheduled to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as the claims for increased ratings were not granted. The conditions, including hearing loss and sleep apnea, did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings.

The Board granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss and confirmed the effective date of June 10, 2010 for service connection of a back disability.