Hearing loss Board decisions

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

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between the disabilities and service.

The Veteran's low back disability, neck muscle spasms, and radiculopathy of the hips are all found to be related to his service-connected conditions. His bilateral hearing loss is also found to be related to noise exposure in service.,The right shoulder condition is not found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated at a noncompensable level prior to June 11, 2014 and at a 10 percent level since then. The claim for an increased evaluation is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable rating throughout the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is rated as Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable since the effective date of service connection. The audiometric testing results have consistently shown Level I hearing in both ears, which corresponds to a zero percent rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss had been manifested by no worse than level I hearing acuity in both ears. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against entitlement to an initial compensable rating for this disability.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss (aggravated) due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or etiology related to service. Service connection was not granted for the Veteran's back disability as there was no chronicity in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his hearing loss, right knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature of any service-connected disabilities and whether they are related to service. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability will be remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of his presence in Vietnam and a VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim to reopen a left ankle disability. The Veteran is seeking an increased rating for his left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and updated VA medical records. He also needs to undergo new VA examinations for his PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a more contemporaneous and complete examination by a vocational specialist to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability. The case will be readjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination, as the current opinion is not consistent with an article submitted by Dr. Fligor.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been manifested by mild hearing impairment, and the assigned noncompensable disability rating is appropriate.