Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a review of the service treatment records and an addendum opinion from the February 2010 VA examiner regarding the relationship between his bilateral hearing loss and military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to inadequacies in the examination and opinion provided by VA. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Board videoconference hearing at the San Juan RO.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain a new VA audiological examination and provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss. The issues of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss and entitlement to an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss are also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating at any time since the award of service connection based on the standard rating criteria. Therefore, his initial rating claim for an initial compensable rating is denied.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service and determined that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current level of hearing impairment does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 16, 2002, for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the failure to issue a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Board has granted service connection for gouty arthritis and is remanding the claim of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability due to additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred or aggravated during his active service and denied his claim for accrued benefits.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as his hearing acuity did not warrant a higher than the current 80 percent rating. The claim for TDIU was also denied due to lack of evidence showing that he is precluded from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is likely due to his exposure to hazardous noise levels during service. The hearing loss claim remains pending as there was no discharge examination report of record at this time.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their clinical onset in active service, nor are they causally related to active service. As such, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability and right leg radiculopathy have caused severe axonal peripheral neuropathy resulting in loss of use of both lower extremities, necessitating the use of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair for mobility.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability, and the issues raised did not involve presumptive conditions or exposure to known environmental exposures.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have residuals of a head trauma, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right elbow scar, and skin disability (to include as due to herbicide exposure) have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the addition of relevant, non-duplicative evidence and the need for additional VA examination. The claim will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a personal hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals due to his request. The issues include service connection, initial evaluations for PTSD and hearing loss, and TDIU.

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