Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left orchiectomy (left testicle injury), prostate disorder, bladder disorder, heart disease, and hypertension have been denied. The VA examiner found no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss, exposure to herbicides, and headaches. The Veteran currently does not have a current disability for which he can seek service connection.

The Veteran does not have a hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes in either ear, and therefore his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a right hip disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Army Reserve records and verifying specific periods of active duty training.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a 100% rating effective December 29, 2008.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain correctional facility treatment records and an opinion regarding the etiology of bilateral hearing loss. The appeal is being remanded for these purposes.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss did not worsen during service beyond its natural progression, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disability is not service-connected and denied his claim. The reduction of his bilateral hearing loss rating from 40% to 30% was implemented, but the decision on whether this reduction was proper remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected residual gunshot wound scars of the left thigh and leg are rated at 20 percent, effective June 1, 2009. His bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining records from Dr. Hoeper and scheduling a VA examination to assess the functional effects of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, tinea pedis and tinea cruris, polymorphous light eruption (PLE), scars, residual of a shrapnel wound to the right leg, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of malaria. The Veteran's contentions and treatment records indicate current diagnoses.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA audiology examination to determine if his current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to military service. The examiner must consider the threshold shifts in his hearing acuity at entrance and separation from service.

The Veteran is entitled to specially adapted housing due to multiple disabilities, including the loss or loss of use of one lower extremity together with residuals of organic disease or injury that so affect the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. The special home adaptation grant claim is moot.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to inconsistencies in the previous VA opinion and changes in VA policy regarding audiometric data conversion.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear speech recognition scores and audiometric test results. The Veteran's hearing loss disability will need further examination and clarification of his claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no credible evidence of in-service noise exposure. The VA examiner opined that the current hearing loss and tinnitus are more likely due to postservice occupational noise exposure.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, and PTSD, is now reopened for consideration.,Bilateral hearing loss is not service connected due to lack of evidence showing a current disability within one year of separation from service.