Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is manifested by hearing acuity no worse than Level I in the right ear and Level III in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The criteria for a compensable disability rating are not met.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the claims for service connection for postoperative residuals of right ear otosclerosis and right ear hearing loss can be adjudicated.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to evaluate his current hearing acuity. The RO will also review the claims file and issue a statement of the case regarding higher initial disability ratings for disabilities of both knees and for his left little finger, as well as earlier effective dates for the grants.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and low back disability are not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease for either condition.

The Board finds that the Veteran's additional disabilities, including rhabdomyolysis and other conditions he claims are related to Zocor use, were not caused by VA's failure to exercise due care or consent. The evidence shows that the Veteran had been taking Zocor for years without incident prior to his hospitalization in 2006.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and hearing loss, do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to June 29, 2016.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's initial noncompensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is denied as his audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were found to be caused by in-service exposure to excessive noise. Service connection was granted for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records and to schedule him for appropriate VA examinations. The appeal will be remanded to allow for these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various forms of arthritis, are related to service. The appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are attributable to his active service, thus granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right and left ear hearing loss, as well as tinnitus, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than the current 50% for each ear of hearing loss and 10% for tinnitus.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service and granted service connection for this condition. The decision on bilateral hearing loss disability will be remanded as it requires additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are related to his military service, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a 10% rating as of March 2012, based on his puretone threshold averages and speech discrimination scores.