Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were denied, as the evidence did not show current disabilities. The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis was rated at 20% and his lumbar spinal degenerative arthritis with spondylosis and central stenosis was rated at 10%. These ratings are maintained.

The Veteran's hearing loss is not considered severe enough to warrant a compensable rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board found no current diagnosis of malaria or residuals thereof, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was remanded but not fully addressed in the July 2013 VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric, hearing loss, and tinnitus conditions. The claims will be further developed with additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and TDIU claims.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss was aggravated by service, and she is granted service connection for tinnitus. However, her right ear hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board found no evidence of current peripheral neuropathy or right ear hearing loss, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not have onset during service or within one year of separation, and are not otherwise related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence is against finding direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and headaches are related to his service. As such, these conditions have been granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability, evaluated as bilateral Level II hearing impairment with speech recognition scores ranging from 84 to 96, does not meet the criteria for a higher initial compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeal for right ear hearing loss was withdrawn. The claim for left knee disability has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence, but service connection remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of service dates and periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA), as well as a VA examination to determine if any pre-existing conditions were aggravated by service. The Veteran's hearing loss and right knee disorder are both considered direct service connection cases.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for laryngeal cancer, status post partial laryngectomy, is denied. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a higher rating as his symptoms do not more nearly approximate hoarseness with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with auditory acuity levels I in the right ear and IV in the left ear. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of his claimed residuals of perforated tympanic membrane of the left ear and to evaluate the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service, and he is already service connected for lead poisoning. The hearing loss claim will be remanded as it requires further examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service, with the onset occurring during his military service. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is service-connected, and the Board has granted this claim. The issue of an initial compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including consideration of an extraschedular evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the regulatory threshold criteria to be considered a disability for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.