Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's combination of service-connected migraine headaches, depressive disorder, PTSD associated with prostate cancer residuals, bilateral hearing loss, left foot injury, and impotence are found to be disabling enough to prevent him from securing or following substantial gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and attempting to obtain service treatment records from the Saigon military hospital. The Veteran is also advised that he may need to provide evidence linking his lumbar spine disability to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric testing did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder and an increased rating for hearing loss. The decision did not address the issue of herbicide exposure or grant any new ratings.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining SSA records, VA treatment records, and a VA examination for his prostate disorder and hepatitis C.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to have its onset in service or be otherwise related to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to afford the Veteran full consideration of his claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, knee disabilities, and ankle disabilities. The case is REMANDED for further action.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection based on in-service noise exposure. The psychiatric disorder claims are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, DM, peripheral neuropathies, and ED, render him unemployable due to his physical and mental limitations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely related to in-service noise exposure, and thus grants the claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset during service, was not caused by his active service, and did not manifest within one year of separation from active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence to decide the claim, and a VA examination is needed to determine if the current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing and to address the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and his military service, including noise exposure. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board finds that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as the current disability does not meet the criteria for presumptive conditions and there is insufficient medical evidence linking the current condition to service. The VA examiner determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his audiometric test results did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.