Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, coronary artery disease, kidney stones, and stomach disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that the symptoms did not manifest during service or within one year of separation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA Social and Industrial Survey to determine the combined effect of her service-connected disabilities on her ability to perform sedentary type of work.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service, with the Board granting service connection for these conditions.,For the right knee disability and burn scar of the right hand, further development is needed as their etiology may not have been properly documented in the service treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tuberculosis and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids disability. The TDIU claim was not addressed due to its being part of an increased rating claim.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches as a residual of an in-service head injury (claimed as TBI). The remaining claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Florida Hospital Waterman on May 5, 2009 is granted as the care and services were rendered in a medical emergency of such nature that delay would have been hazardous to life or health.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is not related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. However, service connection cannot be established as both conditions are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete information in the July 2012 private audiogram and issues regarding service connection for a respiratory disorder and Barrett's esophagus. The AOJ must obtain clarification on whether the speech recognition scores from the July 2012 audiological report utilized the Maryland CNC test, or provide the Veteran with contact information to seek clarification.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's TDIU claim is being considered on its merits.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was rated as noncompensable from September 28, 2007 to September 3, 2009. For the period from September 3, 2009, a higher initial rating of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss has been granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus within one year of separation from service. The VA examiners concluded that these conditions were less likely than not caused by noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as 0 percent prior to December 19, 2011 and 10 percent as of that date. The Board finds the evidence does not support a compensable rating for any period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had onset in service and is related to his active military service. However, the Veteran's tinnitus did not have onset in service and was not caused or permanently aggravated by his active military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right knee disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate consideration of the Veteran's statements and treatment records.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and perforated tympanic membranes are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not causally or etiologically due to service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in active service. As a result, the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not due to noise exposure during his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.