Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and right wrist disorder are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for clarification of the July 2012 private audiologist's report and obtaining additional medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was withdrawn by the Veteran before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset in service and is granted service connection. The right ear hearing loss disability and left ear hearing loss disability are also granted, but the issues of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for a left ear hearing loss disability and the need for VA audiology examinations have been remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as 10 percent disabling effective September 22, 2011. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating prior to this date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow him to have a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be related to his military service, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for status post splenectomy residuals, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus. The effective date of any grant of benefits is February 26, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to June 20, 2005 and from June 20, 2005 to June 4, 2007 was denied as the evidence did not show that his bilateral hearing loss had become worse since the last assigned rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran is scheduled for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his current bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining Army Reserve personnel records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Veteran's appeals for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and increased rating for a deviated septum as a fracture residual are remanded. The appeal also includes claims for service connection for headaches and a psychiatric disorder, which have been referred to the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating, as his audiometric results do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of February 26, 2010. The Board grants an effective date of February 26, 2010 for the award of a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA audiological examination and reviewing a March 18, 1991 audiogram report.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not have their clinical onset in active service or are otherwise causally related to active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right inguinal hernia was denied. The Board found no current compensable diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss, and the examiner noted that the Veteran did not have a pre-existing right inguinal hernia during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment during service and the medical opinion concluded that the current conditions are more likely due to post-service occupational noise exposure. The claim for service connection is therefore denied.