Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as the evidence did not establish a relationship between his current conditions and his military service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by his military service, and granted service connection for this condition. The tinnitus claim is also granted as it is related to noise exposure during service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence showing a service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially to his death.,The appellant's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under Title 38, Chapter 35 was also denied as she did not meet the eligibility requirements.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his service-connected conditions did not warrant a higher rating or additional service connection. The scar of the left parietal area of the scalp, while present, did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a personal hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining National Guard service records and verifying periods of active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus in his right ear and granted a 20 percent rating for degenerative facet joint L5-S1 with bulge, lordosis, and spondylosis (back condition). The other issues were not addressed as the appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are as likely as not attributable to his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during active duty. As a result, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

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 a nexus between in-service noise exposure and these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no worse than Level II hearing in the right ear and no worse than Level III hearing in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating.

The Board has determined that the effective dates for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus should be December 5, 2008 as this is the date the Veteran's claims were received by VA.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are due to in-service acoustic trauma and aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the Veteran's inability to attend a scheduled videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The RO found that the Veteran had Level I hearing in both ears, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding no new and material evidence in the record.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss in either ear arose during service or is causally related to active combat service. The Veteran and his wife have provided lay statements of their hearing loss shortly after service, and the examiner should consider these when forming an opinion.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current level of disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.