Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service. The case will be remanded for further examination and opinion.

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

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a right hand burn have been reopened. The Board found new and material evidence to support these claims but denied service connection for the right hand burn as there is no credible evidence that it occurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a higher rating as his disability is currently evaluated at 0 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for an SOC regarding the restoration of a 40 percent rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and further consideration of his claim for higher ratings.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability, evaluated as Level VII in the right ear and Level I in the left ear, does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current condition is causally related to his in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder due to chronic pain is currently rated at 30 percent since July 25, 2008. The other service-connected conditions have their respective ratings as described in the issues section.

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions that are related to his service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, right ear tinnitus, and left ear tinnitus. The Board found that preexisting right ear hearing loss was not aggravated by service and that right ear tinnitus is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his current hearing disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is due, in part, to military noise exposure. The claim for service connection of right ear hearing loss disability is granted.

The Veteran's right ear hearing acuity has not met VA criteria for a finding of disability at any time during the appeal period, and thus his claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between his claimed conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his active service, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with symptoms beginning during active duty. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be natural causes, but the VA medical opinion concluded that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death. The Board found the VA medical opinion more persuasive and denied service connection for the cause of death.