Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and right ear hearing loss are service connected. However, his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss disability is service-connected as it was incurred during his period of honorable military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure he experienced during active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied all claims for service connection as there is no probative evidence of a current disability or link to active service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus should be remanded due to a need for additional examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is service-connected, with a rating of 100% effective from the date of the decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a hearing disability for VA purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be causally related to his exposure to acoustic trauma during service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss disability, as well as whether it is related to his active duty service. The appeal will be remanded for these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. As such, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran seeks compensation for additional disability of the left ear (hearing loss) and heart (mitral valve replacement), resulting from VA treatment. The Board finds that the mitral valve replacement is an additional disability, but not coronary artery disease.,Regarding hearing loss, there is no evidence to support a finding that it was caused by the January 2008 left ear surgery.

The Board finds the preponderance of the evidence does not support a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for a left shoulder disability and hearing loss of the left ear.,Service connection is established for these conditions as they are considered direct service connections.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service, granting his claims for these disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and the condition did not manifest during or within one year after service. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied due to lack of sufficient additional service-connected disability to bring his combined rating to 70 percent or more.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was found to not warrant a compensable rating prior to July 24, 2014 and not in excess of 10 percent from that date. The Board concluded the schedular criteria adequately capture the Veteran's symptoms.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as her claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, stroke, PTSD, depression, and cause of death. The Board found that no earlier effective date was warranted due to lack of evidence showing entitlement prior to February 23, 2011.

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