Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for tinnitus, finding it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's tinnitus originated during his active duty.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability, as his combined disability evaluation is at least 60 percent. The Board finds that he is precluded from employment in a field for which his education and prior work experience would qualify him, and that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of the limitations imposed by his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 10% disability rating effective from the date of claim. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not considered to be related to active service.,For the period prior to November 15, 2013, the Veteran was awarded an initial 20% disability rating for his lumbar spine disability and a 20% disability rating for associated right lower extremity radiculopathy. Effective from November 15, 2013, the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40%. The Board also granted a maximum 40% disability rating for the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a videoconference hearing. The Board will schedule the Veteran for such a hearing.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss before the Board could make a decision.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter and has not been shown to be otherwise related to service. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating prior to April 25, 2012 and since August 16, 2014. For the period from April 25, 2012 through August 15, 2014, an initial 20 percent rating was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not causally or etiologically due to service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in active service. As such, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is not established.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied prior to May 22, 2007. As of that date, the Veteran is entitled to a 10 percent disability rating.

The Board finds that the reduction of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability from 70 percent to 40 percent was proper based on improved speech discrimination scores and adequate audiometric findings.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, including his foot and ankle conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for clarification of the medical opinion provided by the VA audiologist and additional development of the claims file.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional actions, including scheduling a hearing and obtaining an examination to assess the etiology of his squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.

The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during active military service and is granted service connection. The claims for hearing loss, left eye disability, and tuberculosis are remanded for additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating, and denied service connection for upper extremity neuropathy due to lack of evidence supporting direct service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to active military service and granted service connection for this condition. The hearing loss claim remains pending as it involves issues not directly about service connection, such as continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. Bilateral hearing loss is found to be aggravated by service, while tinnitus is attributable to service.