Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his exposure to herbicides and his assertions of setting foot in Vietnam. He is also required to undergo a VA examination for right ear hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest within one year from service discharge and is not causally or etiologically related to service. The preponderance of evidence established that his hearing loss was normal at separation, and he did not have a disability during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, effective December 14, 2010. The Board granted a TDIU rating from that date.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is found to be related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in the Republic of Vietnam.,The Veteran's PTSD has been found to cause him to be unable to obtain and sustain a substantially gainful occupation, warranting TDIU benefits since September 29, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to his service, but his diabetes mellitus was not present during or within one year after service and is not linked to service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, but denied the initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's claim is remanded to obtain additional medical records and schedule him for an audiological examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and to obtain any outstanding medical records. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 10, 2013 for the award of a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) has been denied as there is no persuasive medical or lay evidence showing he was unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities within one year before the date of his claim.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the Veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal for the issue of entitlement to an increased disability rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his active service, and the Board finds that he should be granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not caused by or aggravated by service, nor did they manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service separation. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The earliest possible effective date for a grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss is February 8, 2011, as that was the first date he met the statutory criteria for a hearing loss disability. For right ear hearing loss, the Veteran did not meet the statutory criteria prior to June 29, 2009, and thus no earlier effective date can be granted. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at Level I since February 8, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 50 percent since June 23, 2017. The appeal has been denied as the criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination and referral to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration due to complaints of social isolation related to his hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his disability did not warrant a rating in excess of the current assigned ratings.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a VA examination.