Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a compensable degree of hearing loss within one year post-service. The VA examiner found no link between current symptoms and service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the Veteran has tinnitus, which is attributable to active military service, but did not find evidence of hearing loss in service or within one year thereafter.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and bilateral hearing loss render him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and prior occupational history, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of hearing loss disability in service and the current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran did not incur bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus during or as a result of service and his lay assertions regarding continuity of symptomatology were not credible.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of multiple joints and coronary artery disease, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to September 5, 2013.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for depression, remanded the claim for bilateral hearing loss, granted compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for left knee injury, and did not address reopening of a previously denied lumbar spine injury claim.

The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss is not shown to have been present in service or for many years thereafter, nor is it shown to be the result of his military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrences that could be related to the claimed conditions.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service, but his right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to post-service noise exposure rather than in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The low back strain disability was initially rated as noncompensable, but is now rated at 40 percent effective May 30, 2009.

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

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran is entitled to a new VA examination and an appropriate determination on his service connection claim.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for depression and granted a rating of 10 percent effective July 20, 2002. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected Meniere's syndrome is rated at 100 percent, the highest possible rating under DC 6205, due to his frequent and severe attacks of vertigo and gait imbalance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of anatomical loss or use of both hands, blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less, or deep partial thickness burns, full thickness or subdermal burns, or residuals of an inhalation injury.

The Board found that the Veteran's Tourette's syndrome was not aggravated by service and denied his claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus as they were not shown to be related to service.