Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's current tinnitus was found to be related to service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition. The issues of bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus. Additional examination is required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an addendum opinion regarding his tinnitus and respiratory disability.

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

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a causal relationship between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current hearing loss.

The Board has determined that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms during or within one year after service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a 10% rating for the residual scar from shell fragment wound to the back, effective January 12, 2007.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.,For the effective date claim, the Board found that prior to January 24, 2009, the Veteran's left shoulder injury with degenerative changes did not meet the criteria for a 30 percent disability rating.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus began during service and has existed since then, meeting the criteria for service connection. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service, was not caused by an event, injury, or disease in service, and is unrelated to his previously service-connected tinnitus. As such, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on his pure tone thresholds and speech discrimination scores.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for a TDIU is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. As such, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and vertigo are proximately due to her service-connected tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of clear and unmistakable error in a March 1997 rating decision, as well as failure to meet criteria for an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as the Veteran's representative withdrew the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 25, 2010 and a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter.