Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and a back disability, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and scheduling him for examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and PTSD, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The effective dates for these grants are January 22, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a nasal condition were denied as there is no current disability found at any time during the pendency of his claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for scarring on the lungs and purified protein derivative conversion status post prophylactic treatment with inhalation have been withdrawn. The Veteran has current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of in-service noise exposure, which are granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities originated during his period of active service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his active military service, including exposure to loud radio noise. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that these conditions are related to his service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hearing loss in her right ear is granted based on aggravation of a pre-existing condition. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable disability rating under VA regulations.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his period of service, including any in-service noise exposure.,The VA examiner concluded that there was no evidence of acoustic trauma shown in the service treatment records that would cause the Veteran's tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Veteran's claims for hypertension, anxiety disorder, depression, lung disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, glomus tumors and other skin lesions, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen any of these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability as his combined disability rating is less than 60% prior to May 1, 2014, and does not exceed 40% after that date.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable evaluation is not warranted based on the current evidence of record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of pneumonia, and a deviated nasal septum. The claim for an increased rating for left eye cataract was also denied as there is no evidence showing corrected visual acuity of 10/200 or less in one eye.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted for any portion of the rating period.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not compensably disabling, as evidenced by multiple VA audiological examinations showing Level I hearing impairment in both ears. The Board found no evidence to support a higher rating based on the inconsistent private audiometric results and concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss does not warrant an increased disability rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's current sleep apnea and bilateral hearing loss are not related to his military service, including due to a traumatic injury in service. The preponderance of evidence does not support the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since May 23, 2006. The Board finds that the current evaluation is appropriate based on the audiometric results provided.