Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU and his service-connected disabilities prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA examination and further development due to insufficient detail in the previous examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during military service. The Board finds that the Veteran's current PTSD disability and shrapnel wound residuals are related to his in-service experiences.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability did not have onset during active service, was not caused by his active service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) during which he was exposed to noise from weapons training. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for hearing loss, PTSD, or a pulmonary disorder. The evidence is insufficient to establish these conditions as being related to service.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The Veteran's left knee disability is denied as not incurred in or caused by service.

The Veteran's heart condition is presumed to be related to his service in Vietnam, and he has been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Service connection for this condition is granted.,While the Veteran contends that his hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service, VA medical opinions have determined that there is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability within one year post-service or any continuity of symptomatology since service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for depression and major depressive disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea and bilateral ankle conditions. The evidence received since the last final denial is considered new and material as it relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims (current diagnoses of these conditions).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA audiology examination to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss and to address any functional effects caused by this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were previously denied, but new and material evidence has been submitted. The claims are now reopened, but the Board finds that there is no direct service connection as none of the conditions have a link to active service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service. Service connection was denied for numbness and burning in feet with loss of toenails due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of his current condition.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a currently diagnosed respiratory disability and denied service connection for this condition. The Board also did not find any evidence of asbestos exposure during service, which was necessary to establish service connection for sleep apnea.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, finding that the earliest possible effective date is May 26, 2009 when the Veteran's claim was first received by VA.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as unspecified bipolar disorder, is found to be at least as likely as not incurred during service. The remaining issues on appeal are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, malaria, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), bilateral tinnitus, initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU based on service-connected disabilities. The decision also found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen a claim of service connection for asthma.