Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA examination. The issues are whether the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus that are related to his service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or chronic symptoms within one year post-service. The Board also found that the March 2016 VA examination was adequate and supported by the medical literature.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus was also denied as service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted based on the objective medical evidence, which shows no significant improvement in his hearing loss over time and does not demonstrate any exceptional patterns of hearing impairment.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be related to his military service, while his hearing loss was not.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 11, 2008 for TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to insufficient evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable solely at that time.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals regarding whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

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

The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and therefore grants service connection for this disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service, specifically in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest in active service or to a compensable degree within the first post-active service year, and such disability is not etiologically related to service. The Board finds that the evidence does not show that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and/or left ear hearing loss are related to noise exposure in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not linked to disease or injury incurred in active service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a mood disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has determined that his claim should be submitted for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral SNHL did not meet the criteria for a finding of hearing loss disability under VA standards at any point during service, and thus denied his claim.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU and his service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were aggravated by his service-connected frostbite residuals.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU from October 14, 1997 through September 25, 2003, including on an extra-schedular basis prior to July 14, 2003.

The Board found no evidence of a current left ear hearing loss disability and determined that the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating of bilateral hearing loss and service connection for vestibular neuritis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation for his hearing loss disability, as it was consistent with the current assigned evaluation.