Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are service-connected, with no rating assigned or effective date provided.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities and obtain any outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's right ear sensorineural hearing loss and peripheral vestibular disorder, including probable labyrinthitis versus benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, have been reopened. The evidence now shows current disabilities as defined by VA regulatory criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion on the etiology of his hearing loss and addressing the issue of compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a perforated left ear drum.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to a need for new examinations and consideration of outstanding records.

The Board found that the Veteran's left eye condition, sinus condition, and bilateral hearing loss are not related to his military service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, warranting service connection. The right ear hearing loss disability is currently not considered a compensable disability for VA purposes.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of vision, prostatitis, hearing loss, and arthritis of each hand. The claim to reopen a claim of service connection for keloids was also denied.

New evidence has been submitted, raising the possibility of substantiating the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's service connection is granted based on the established link between in-service noise exposure and current conditions.,The Veteran's service connection is granted for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's hearing loss is being remanded for further development as the VA examiner's opinion did not consider evidence favorable to the Veteran and contradicted his diagnoses.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to unclear reasoning regarding whether post-service hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service loud noise exposure, and the Board has granted service connection for these disabilities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is established under continuity of symptomology and grants service connection for this condition. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending as there are no VA audiological examinations in the record.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a respiratory disorder were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The Board found that the current diagnoses are not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. However, both conditions were not shown during service or within one year of separation, and there is no medical nexus linking current disabilities to service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, as his combined rating is less than the required 60% for TDIU.