Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are denied as there is no current diagnosis or credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and sleep apnea, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service. The decision also grants a secondary basis of service connection for sleep apnea as it is aggravated by his service-connected status post skull fracture.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability has been reopened and granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding service connection for this condition, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.,The Veteran's left ankle condition is less likely than not incurred or caused by his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinion and the need for additional development of his employment history.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and various lower extremity conditions are all granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has established a current disability, in-service noise exposure, and continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran is granted service connection for sleep apnea and a noncompensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA audiology examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss or tinnitus. The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a new VA audiology examination and obtaining outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his active service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service and the Board finds that he has established a grant of service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active duty service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA audiological examination to determine if the Veteran has left ear hearing loss disability and its likely etiology, specifically whether it is related to his service noise exposure. The claim will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for an addendum medical advisory opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to his active service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claim for concurrent retirement and disability pay (CRDP) was denied as the effective date of his service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is August 25, 2013. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a retroactive CRDP beyond this date.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been found to render him unemployable, as they preclude substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

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 Veteran's hearing loss, at worst, was manifested by Level I hearing in both ears. The Board finds that the criteria for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and right ear hearing loss have been denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran has a history of allergic rhinitis during service but not before. Right ear hearing loss did not meet VA compensation criteria at any time during active duty service.