Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, including noise exposure during military service. As a result, these claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA audiological examination to determine the severity of his bilateral hearing loss. The claim will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be causally related to in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was rated at 10 percent, and the reduction to noncompensable effective December 6, 2010 is upheld. The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities are granted.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations and therefore denied his claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to noise exposure during his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10% from February 3, 2011, through January 25, 2016. From January 26, 2016, the rating was increased to 40%. The effective date for this increase is January 26, 2016.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA audiological examination and to obtain outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a worsening of his service-connected hearing loss.,The August 1987 Board decision denying service connection for PTSD is final, and new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen this claim.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted as of February 10, 2010. A higher rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not involve loss of use of one or both feet, loss of use of one or both hands, permanent impairment of vision of both eyes, a severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or ankylosis of one or both knees or one or both hips. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for eligibility for automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee disability. The reopened claims are being remanded to further develop the evidence.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is service-connected. The Board finds no evidence of lower extremity Raynaud's syndrome or CAD in the record, and thus denies these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and treatment records. The issues of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss disability, and left ankle disability are pending.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a low back disorder. The Veteran's low back disorder is related to service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. For his bilateral hearing loss, the Veteran is also granted service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and bilateral wrist conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The Board found that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service, except for tinnitus which is presumed due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus is the result of in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection for this condition is granted. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is also granted as it meets the criteria for direct service connection due to noise exposure during service.