Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warranted no more than a noncompensable evaluation based on the pertinent diagnostic criteria from the date of service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is service connected as it manifested in service and has persisted.

The Board has dismissed the appeals of service connection for the right elbow and increased ratings for the neck. The Veteran's appeal of hearing loss is denied as his puretone thresholds do not meet VA criteria for a disability. The claims for increased ratings for the right shoulder and feet, as well as sinusitis with headaches, are remanded due to lack of proper procedural steps.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service, and the Board finds in favor of granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for low back degenerative disk disease with right lower extremity radiculopathy and assigned a 10% initial rating. The hearing loss claim was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to decision.

The Board has determined that there are missing private and VA outpatient treatment records pertinent to the Veteran's claims. The case is REMANDED for obtaining these records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims.,The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims.,The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to determine the nature and etiology of any current traumatic brain injury residuals, including headaches, memory impairment, poor sleep, head pain, and difficulty focusing.,The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records and Reserve service treatment records for additional development.,The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to determine the nature and etiology of any current skin disability of the feet, including whether it is related to his service-connected eczema.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for ischemic heart disease has been granted, and his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted since December 20, 2012. The Board finds that the Veteran has been precluded from securing and following substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new examination as his hearing condition has reportedly worsened since his last evaluation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service.,Tinnitus is attributable to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are service-connected. The claim for hypertension is granted, but a rating assignment is pending as there was no current disability found at the time of examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, which is presumed under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(a).

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to December 10, 2014; an evaluation in excess of 20 percent from December 10, 2014 to December 22, 2015; and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent since December 22, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and a heart disorder, to include ischemic heart disease and residuals of myocardial infarction were denied. The claim for an increased rating for left shoulder shrapnel scars was granted with a 10 percent rating effective from November 10, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and heart disability were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a non-compensable rating for actinic keratosis prior to November 21, 2015, and a 10 percent rating effective from that date.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a current disability in either case, and his symptoms were adequately addressed by the existing ratings.