Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's rectal cancer, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his active service. The evidence does not show these conditions during or within one year after service, nor is there any competent medical opinion linking them to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his military service, and thus denied the claim. The remaining claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disorder, and right leg disorder are remanded due to incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to bilateral hearing loss, and the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a current diagnosis under VA regulations.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 50 percent for coxa vara, right hip, and for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and degenerative joint disease, right knee.

The Veteran's appeal for Parkinson's disease was withdrawn. The claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been reopened due to new evidence received since the March 1971 rating decision, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims of service connection.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling VA examinations for the Veteran's hearing loss and arthritis claims. The case will be returned to the AOJ after this development.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical opinions and updated VA treatment records.

The Board has ordered additional examinations and remanded the case for further development due to the need for updated assessments of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA medical records and a new examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus are related to his military service, with exposure to noise during shipboard duty. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether his acquired psychiatric disability, specifically depressive disorder, is related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be due to exposure to acoustic trauma during his active duty service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service acoustic trauma, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran withdrew all his appeals regarding the compensable rating for service-connected chronic nonsuppurtive otitis media of the right ear with hearing loss and a rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is manifested by no more than Level I hearing impairment in both ears, and the criteria for a compensable rating have not been met.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in inability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not manifest during service or within one year of service, and there is no credible evidence linking his current hearing loss to service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding in favor of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his pure tone thresholds have consistently indicated Level I hearing in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable evaluation under the applicable VA rating criteria.

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

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a 30 percent rating for allergic rhinitis from February 29, 2008. The hearing loss claim remains denied and the initial rating prior to December 13, 2006 is also denied.