Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is causally related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted, but no effective date earlier than June 30, 2011, was assigned.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA audiology examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains about determining an appropriate rating for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in his left ear, and there is no evidence of such during service. For the acquired psychiatric disability claim, the Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the Veteran's claim for PTSD due to military sexual trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is more likely than not caused by his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are so severe that they preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for residuals of left forearm and elbow injury, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, neck disorder, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, GERD, and hypertension were denied. The RO found that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing disability for VA purposes in his right ear, and there is no evidence of tinnitus or left ear hearing loss within one year of separation from service. Therefore, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's claims have been dismissed due to his death. No service connection decisions were made.

The Veteran's in-service noise exposure is conceded. However, his hearing loss to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes has not been shown prior to January 15, 2015.

For the entire rating period from February 14, 2008, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has exhibited no worse than Level II hearing in both ears. The criteria for a higher (compensable) disability rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met or more nearly approximated.

The Veteran's hearing loss is service-connected due to in-service acoustic trauma, and he has been granted a 70 percent rating for his PTSD.,He is also entitled to a TDIU since September 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset or be otherwise incurred in service, and thus denied service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's combined disability rating meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, which include PTSD, prostate cancer, and tinnitus. The preponderance of evidence shows that these conditions are of such severity as to prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and increased ratings for left shoulder disability, headaches, folliculitis, and cervical spine disability. The decision also addressed a claim for TDIU but did not adjudicate it due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of her bilateral pes planus, gastrointestinal disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The issues on appeal include service connection claims for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss did not manifest during or as a result of his active military service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from prison and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and TBI residuals.