Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The VA examiners found no current diagnoses of the claimed conditions, or that they are not related to service.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a current hearing loss disability under VA criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his occupational functioning. The issue of entitlement to an extraschedular rating will also be remanded.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period, and there is no evidence to support a higher rating. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against his claim for an initial compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current Meniere's disease, hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to service or any other service-connected disability.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for bilateral vision impairment, bilateral hearing loss, acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and heart condition due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to in-service noise exposure, and therefore denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including consideration of whether higher ratings are warranted and whether entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) should be considered.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection based on evidence showing a current diagnosis, in-service acoustic trauma, and continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and personnel information, as well as for VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability rating from 80% to 20% effective January 1, 2014 was not proper as there is no evidence showing sustained improvement in his condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected. However, he does not have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder or diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient examination findings.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence and a need for issuance of a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC). The issues include an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU.

The Veteran's headaches are rated as noncompensable, and his left ear hearing loss is service connected. However, the Board denied both issues due to lack of evidence supporting a compensable rating for headaches or service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as the current disability ratings are considered adequate based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is less than the 100% required for TDIU, and his service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims were not supported by competent medical evidence showing a current disability or a link to service.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD due to asbestos exposure during service, resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.