Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine disabilities, and lumbar spine disabilities. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus, which are diagnosed conditions, and his service, including noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's current tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are found to be related to service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Board hearing by live videoconference. The issues of service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus are still under consideration.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues listed, including the claims for initial ratings and service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a spine disability due to lack of current disabilities as defined by VA regulations.

The Board found that the appellant does not have hearing loss that is related to his military service, specifically noting the lack of STRs and inability to determine if the current hearing loss is linked to his active duty for training period from October 1958 to March 1959.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that they were not incurred during periods of active duty or active duty for training. The Veteran was on inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) in the Army National Guard when he experienced these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise on whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to acoustic trauma during service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not have its onset during service or within a year of separation, and is not related to an injury, disease, or event during service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal in August 2014 for all issues listed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a travel board hearing before the RO, either in person or via video conference. The initial compensable rating and TDIU claims are also pending.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a heart disorder, to include as secondary to hypertension, was denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability under VA standards and did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of hearing loss. For his heart disorder, the evidence showed coronary atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure but no service connection could be established due to lack of continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the claim for a higher rating for PTSD prior to January 16, 2014 and in excess of 70 percent thereafter was denied.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but these claims are being remanded to obtain additional evidence and provide a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The elements for entitlement to service connection have also been met, with the onset of the disabilities attributed to noise exposure during active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a prostate condition as due to herbicide exposure, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD). The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions. Service connection was not granted because there is no competent medical evidence linking any of these conditions to the Veteran's military service.