Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA compensation criteria. The claim for increased rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome was also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the Veteran had normal hearing at separation and did not have any complaints of hearing loss during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus due to service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the issues of bilateral hearing loss, varicose veins of the bilateral lower extremities, left lower extremity blood clots, and other service connection claims. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to address these matters.

The Board has not determined whether new and material evidence was received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and left ear hearing loss. The claims were previously denied in 1985 and 1997, respectively, and are considered final.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied entitlement to an extraschedular combined rating for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support such a rating given the adequacy of the schedular ratings and the Veteran's reported work loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining audiogram results and conducting a vocational assessment. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to a TDIU are being considered.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is a relationship between these conditions and his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus had their onset in service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. However, it is not at least as likely as not that his current hearing loss was incurred in or related to his military service.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been consistently rated at 100 percent since the initial grant of service connection, reflecting profound impairment in both ears.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the reduction of the rating for bilateral hearing loss from 10 percent to noncompensable was proper due to a finding of clear and unmistakable error in the May 2011 rating decision. The Veteran's disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating on or after June 1, 2014.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is connected to service and grants his claim for service connection.