Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right eye enucleation and facial scars, prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his active duty service, specifically exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's character of discharge from his second period of service does not constitute a bar to VA benefits. The Veteran is granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as these conditions are etiologically related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have begun during his combat service in Vietnam, which is considered direct service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated at 40 percent since June 2006. The VA examinations have shown the Veteran to be noncompliant with testing, and his speech recognition scores were unreliable. As a result, no higher rating can be granted.

The Veteran is unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50% and granted, but bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hepatitis are not service connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records, specifically from Tuscaloosa VAMC and Jackson VAMC. The case will be re-adjudicated after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding her service connection claims and a VA medical examination.

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 for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a right knee injury, residuals of a left knee injury, neck disability, and left shoulder disability. The claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability was not addressed as it is considered to be part of the migraine headaches claim. The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50%.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for a 10% rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that entitlement to this rating arose on April 30, 2011. The effective date remains March 30, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination, including obtaining his complete service personnel file and conducting a VA examination regarding his pulmonary disability. The hearing loss claim will also be remanded as well.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a bilateral foot disability, claimed as arthritis of the feet, was denied. The Board found that there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's allergic rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus are not related to service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The claim of CUE in the August 2003 rating decision regarding a right knee condition was also denied.

The Veteran's TDIU claim has been granted due to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, which renders him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to his failure to report for VA audiological examinations and because a copy of the April 2013 supplemental statement of the case was returned as undeliverable. The Veteran will be scheduled for another VA examination, and he will be notified at his current address.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability or sufficient observation to establish chronicity at the time.