Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, cervical spondylosis C5-C6 and C6-C7, eczema, hearing loss, low back degenerative disc disease, PTSD, right elbow lateral epicondylitis, right shoulder rotator cuff pathology, and tinnitus are all granted service connection.,Effective dates for the above conditions have been set at December 16, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is service-connected as it was not shown to be caused by military noise exposure, but rather a balance of positive and negative evidence supports this finding. As such, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate consideration of a recent journal article in the VA examiner's opinion. The Veteran's hearing loss etiology needs further examination and discussion.

The Board has denied all service connection claims, finding no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and active service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's right middle finger disability is denied a rating greater than 10 percent. The Veteran's right knee disability before October 28, 2014, and instability of the right knee are granted separate ratings. Bilateral hearing loss remains service-connected but without a compensable rating.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as the maximum schedular rating has already been assigned.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of hypertension, heat stroke, right knee condition, left knee condition, rib(s) condition, right shoulder condition, and left shoulder condition is remanded due to incomplete STRs.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, the lowest possible rating. The Board found that his audiometric results did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is in equipoise on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, TBI, and headaches as secondary to TBI due to new evidence received. The Veteran's exposure during service is not specified.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or causal relationship to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for seizure disorder, headache disorder, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The effective dates for the grants of service connection are being considered as well.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD were denied. The TDIU issue is inextricably intertwined with the PTSD rating issue.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease and PTSD are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for extraschedular consideration due to the severity of his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employment.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the claims for right ear hearing loss and initial compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for migraine headaches was denied. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received.,Service connection for dysthymic disorder was also denied as there is no evidence linking it to service. The Veteran’s current dysthymic disorder developed many years after discharge from service.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of bilateral hearing loss prior to August 13, 2013 was not granted due to the lack of evidence showing an increase in severity since his last VA examination in December 2010. The Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from that date.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss after August 13, 2013 was also denied as the evidence did not show an increase in severity beyond what was already considered. The Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent for his bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied as he does not meet the required percentage ratings and there is no evidence showing that he cannot secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.