Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled VA examination. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's hearing is manifested by at worst level II acuity in the right ear and level I acuity in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus, and finds that these conditions are not related to his active duty service. As such, the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's appeal for post-operative evidence of a distal fibular fracture, left ankle, was dismissed. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as new and material evidence had not been received.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to April 8, 2016 or a higher rating thereafter for bilateral hearing loss. For tinnitus, the Board also found no basis for a higher rating on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to August 23, 2008 for service connection of various conditions were denied as the disabilities preexisted his final period of active duty service and are not shown to have been aggravated during that time.,All awards of service connection and SMC based on these conditions were assigned an effective date of August 23, 2008.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence linking his current hearing loss to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing the Veteran with a statement of the case on his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU were denied. The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the August 1974 rating decision, which denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial compensable disability evaluation, but granted an effective date earlier than August 19, 2014, for the grant of service connection for bilateral tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for updated VA examination and treatment records.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, and disability related to grinding of teeth were all found to be incurred in active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his service, with the Board finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding these issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the etiology of his right ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus claims.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an addendum opinion from a VA audiologist.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently assigned a 30 percent evaluation. The Board finds that the evidence does not support an increase in rating beyond this level.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to address the etiology of his diagnosed conditions.