Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disability (to include bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The appellant's service connection claim is based on direct evidence of in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. An initial 30 percent rating, but no higher, is granted for PTSD with major depression prior to October 19, 2016. The case is remanded for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD from October 19, 2016.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to in-service noise exposure, and service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeal of SMC as it was granted in full with an effective date of June 13, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities began during service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,Specifically, the Veteran's bilateral hip and knee disabilities, hearing loss, respiratory disability, and scars to his forehead and right arm are not considered to be due to service.

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

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his current tinnitus disability is related to noise exposure during military service. The issue of an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be remanded.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus and right ear hearing loss.,Service connection is denied for Meniere's disease with transmastoid labrynthectomy.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to December 15, 2016 was denied because his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of communication from the Veteran prior to September 25, 2013.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded due to the inadequacy of the January 2016 VA audiology examination, as the examiner did not account for the Veteran's language difficulties and inconsistent word recognition scores.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for the claimed left wrist and hand, low back, knee, headaches, tinnitus, or bilateral hearing loss disabilities. As such, service connection cannot be granted.,VA examinations were scheduled but not conducted due to the Veteran's failure to report. The opinion regarding her tinnitus was also obtained from 'LHI' on May 1, 2014.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the issues related to ischemic heart disease, residual surgical scars post coronary artery bypass graft, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss disability was granted with a 30% evaluation effective March 9, 2012. The Board found that the increase in severity of his symptoms occurred more than one year prior to the date he filed his claim.

The Veteran's heart conditions, including an enlarged heart and ischemic heart disease, are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure during service. Service connection is granted for these conditions. The Veteran's hypertension is also presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure. However, the Veteran's headaches are not linked to his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's service was not during a period of war, and therefore he did not meet the qualifying service requirement for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The claim is denied as a matter of law.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remands them for further development as detailed in the letter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and lumbar myositis are related to his active service, warranting service connection. The testicular condition is also considered for service connection as it may be secondary to his hernia residuals.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition during the periods in question.