Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, including noise exposure during service. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely as not caused by or a result of military noise exposure history.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the local RO in Huntington, West Virginia. The issues of service connection and disability ratings are pending.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and development of evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a request for a Board hearing via videoconference. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and bilateral tinnitus remain pending.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right ear hearing loss have been granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss and granted it, but denied a compensable initial disability rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records. The issues include service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinusitis, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for residuals of a right foot injury has been withdrawn. The remaining issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and asthma are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hemorrhoids.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be etiologically related to service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development of his claims, including a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is found to be due to noise exposure during service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition. The initial rating for his degenerative arthritis, bilateral knees, status post meniscus repair with scars remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for his left shoulder scar has been withdrawn. The case is being remanded to obtain additional VA records and schedule the Veteran for an audiological examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction combine to a 70 percent rating. The Board finds that these conditions render him unemployable.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to service, including noise exposure. Additional development is needed.

The Veteran's low back condition is not service-connected as it pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service. The Veteran's right shoulder disability, which he incurred in service, has been granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service. A psychiatric examination is also needed due to changes in regulations regarding PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service, as there was no objective evidence of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes at separation from service. The Veteran's lay assertions were deemed less credible than the medical opinion provided by the VA examiner.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional service records and an addendum opinion considering possible acoustic trauma during Army Reserve service.