Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has remanded the Veteran's claim for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate reasoning in a previous VA examination. The case is sent back for a new examination and an opinion on whether the hearing loss is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss has been reopened, but the evidence does not establish a current disability. Therefore, service connection is denied.,Service connection for right knee disability and anal fissures cannot be established as they are not related to in-service events or diseases.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions such as plantar fasciitis, wrist pain, bilateral hearing loss, paresthesias of the left fingers, a psychiatric disorder (to include depression), hand pain, and knee pain. The Veteran is not eligible for compensation benefits for any disabilities that began in or are etiologically related to his second period of active service from December 2001 through August 2007.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The Veteran's in-service noise exposure is conceded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection, but diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was established due to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for tinnitus was also granted as it is related to the Veteran's current hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and the decision to reduce the rating for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to new evidence.

The appeal of entitlement to service connection for a jaw condition is dismissed. The issues of entitlement to service connection for head injury and neck disability, sleep apnea, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims file is incomplete and requires further development to adjudicate his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and the application to reopen a previously denied claim of service connection for Lyme disease. The Veteran's claims were not substantiated due to lack of evidence linking his conditions to military service.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began in or were related to service.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for hepatitis and for service connection for bilateral hearing loss have been denied as there is no evidence that an increase in disability occurred within one year prior to September 17, 2011.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to issues with scheduling a VA examination for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed again after the necessary information and evidence are obtained.

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

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for tinnitus has been dismissed. The Board also remanded the issue of his hearing loss, requesting that he be scheduled for an examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, bilateral flat feet, and lumbar spine degenerative joint disease are all granted as service connected.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected, but his squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to military exposure.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his active duty service, and the claim of reopening the service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability is rated as zero percent disabling under the rating criteria for defective hearing. The VA examinations and audiometric testing do not show any worsening of his hearing acuity, thus no higher rating can be granted.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issue of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder due to inadequate medical opinions.