Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted as service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam-era service. The Board finds that the Veteran has current diagnoses for PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, sleep apnea, and COPD, which may be related to his period of active duty service.

The Veteran's case is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled videoconference hearing, and he has provided good cause for missing the hearing. The Board will schedule him for a new hearing at the appropriate RO facility.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain a clarifying opinion regarding the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal of the rating reduction from 40 percent to 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, effective March 1, 2013, was withdrawn by the appellant prior to the Board's decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The decision found no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a diagnosis of hearing loss until after separation, and concluded that current hearing loss is not related to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to exposure to acoustic trauma during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or to a compensable degree within one year after his service discharge, and there was no continuity of symptomatology. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete examination report and lack of consideration of certain evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing left-ear hearing loss was aggravated by her in-service acoustic trauma, and thus service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant's representative, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since January 1, 2001. The most recent VA examination in June 2014 showed no significant change in the severity of his hearing impairment compared to previous examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and there was no established link between his in-service noise exposure and his current condition. As such, service connection for bilateral hearing loss could not be granted.

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

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new evidence supports reopening of these previously denied claims.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete evidence and need for further examination. The hearing loss claim will be evaluated based on in-service noise exposure, while the lung cancer claim will require verification of herbicide exposure at a specific base.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to service, specifically exposure to hazardous noise during active duty. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected progressive otosclerosis is manifested by bilateral hearing loss, which has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that a compensable evaluation for this disability is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and personnel records, as well as an addendum opinion from a VA audiologist regarding the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and whether he is unemployable due to his disabilities.