Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's death was not directly related to service-connected conditions, and the appeal is being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder was denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes at any time during the pendency of his claim. For the remaining conditions, a remand is necessary to afford the Veteran another VA examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy. The decision also addressed hypertension but did not specify a rating or effective date.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss was not present during active service, did not manifest within one year of discharge from service, and did not develop as a result of any incident during service. Therefore, the Board finds that the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable (0%) since September 2006. The most recent VA audiological examination in March 2013 showed pure tone thresholds that correspond to a noncompensable evaluation.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not occur during service and is not related to his military noise exposure, leading to a denial of service connection.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss for VA compensation purposes, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability. However, the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss is not considered to have increased in severity during his active military service, thus failing to establish service connection through aggravation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and GERD are all found to be related to his service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions was denied. The Board found that hyperlipidemia, a laboratory test result, is not a disability under VA law and therefore cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include Major Depressive Disorder and PTSD, remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected left ear hearing loss disability. The issue of entitlement to a temporary total evaluation for convalescence following treatment of a service-connected disability must also be addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, but not due to noise exposure. The Veteran's current hearing loss is less likely than not caused by military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not related to service or secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The claims for a rash, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss are remanded for additional examination and opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment. The case was remanded to consider whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected conditions on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he indicated satisfaction with the rating assigned for his hearing loss.