Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient rationale in the VA examination opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received after the August 2012 decision, and the AOJ must review this evidence and readjudicate the claim for service connection of left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from June 8, 1987 to March 7, 2004.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a Statement of the Case on his claim for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to a lack of clarity in the examination reports and the need for further medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions. The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is also remanded.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to June 18, 2009 was granted. For the period from June 18, 2009 onwards, he is assigned a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted, and an effective date of January 18, 2007, is assigned for the award of service connection for chondromalacia of the glenohumeral joint of the left shoulder (status post repair).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to in-service acoustic trauma. The remaining claims of service connection for neck, shoulder, back, hip, and leg disabilities have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disorder, cervical spine disorder, and lumbar spine disorder were denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current tinnitus disability is related to service, and thus granted service connection for this condition. The issue of hearing loss was not addressed in detail as it pertains to a different theory of entitlement (presumptive service connection) which was not applicable.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of tinnitus and denied his claim for service connection. The hearing loss claim is also denied as there was no evidence linking it to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral ear hearing loss for VA compensation purposes, as his auditory thresholds do not meet the criteria set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The appeals are granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, as well as scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has remanded the appeal due to the Veteran's request for a video conference hearing. The issues of service connection remain pending.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his military service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be remanded for further development.