Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be related to noise exposure during his military service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not, either individually or collectively, preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding the etiology of his right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that he does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not manifested by worse than level I hearing in either ear, resulting in a noncompensable schedular rating. The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of whether an extraschedular rating is warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, in and of themselves, do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is due to in-service acoustic trauma and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current hearing levels do not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations. The Board finds that he does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to military noise exposure. Service connection was denied for right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing a nexus between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, specifically addressing whether these conditions are related to service due to noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a Travel Board hearing due to the Veteran's request.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic pyelonephritis with chronic cystitis, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the knees, hearing loss, and tinnitus, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that a TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since February 2011. From October 28, 2016, the rating was increased to 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his bilateral hearing loss, including a request for an increased rating and earlier effective date. The case is being remanded due to the need for a travel board hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his active service and has granted entitlement to service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hearing loss in both ears and carpal tunnel syndrome of the bilateral wrists. The right ear hearing loss was found not to meet the criteria for a compensable rating, while the left ear hearing loss was rated as 0% due to lack of service connection. Service connection for the left ear hearing loss was also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The claim was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and further evaluation is needed to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable rating for dermatitis. The decision found that there was no evidence of in-service hearing loss or skin condition, and thus could not be presumed due to noise exposure or any other basis.