Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The issues are related to his bilateral hearing loss and heart disease, with the latter potentially linked to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to his active service, including exposure to combat noises in Vietnam. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for this condition.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant through his/her authorized representative before a decision was made.

The Board finds that the cause of the Veteran's death is not related to his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral knee arthritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cold injury residuals of the feet and hands, as well as tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability of hearing loss or tinnitus related to his active service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure causing these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the current status of the Veteran's back disability and whether it is related to service. The claims for hearing loss and impaired balance are also being remanded.

The Veteran is granted an initial 10 percent rating for arthritis of the left hand, effective May 27, 2008.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset in service and is related to his exposure to traumatic noise, thus granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service, and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss disabilities are found to be related to his period of active service.,The Veteran's preexisting left ear hearing loss disability was aggravated by his period of active service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a supplemental VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss disability had its onset during his period of service or is etiologically related to his in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for a comprehensive examination to assess his ability to work given his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran has current left ear hearing loss disability that is the result of exposure to hazardous noise during his period of active service, and this condition is granted as service connected.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected due to noise exposure during active duty. Service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as migraine headaches, are denied. The Veteran's PTSD with bipolar disorder is granted an initial evaluation of 70 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the examiner opined that his hearing loss is more likely due to presbycusis rather than military service.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, but his claims for tuberculosis, bilateral hearing loss, and infectious pericarditis were dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal.

The Veteran's disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was reduced from 20 percent to 10 percent effective March 20, 2012. The reduction was proper as the condition had improved and the evidence supported a lower rating.