Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are on appeal.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric, hearing, and tinnitus conditions were not incurred in service. The eye disorder claim was not addressed as it is unclear if there was a current disability during the pendency of the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in active military service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claim on appeal can be adjudicated, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and obtaining clarification from the private audiologist regarding the January 2009 private audiology report.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service and denied the Veteran's claims for left ear pain, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that his audiometric test results did not warrant such a rating based on the applicable regulatory criteria.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address deficiencies in the previous VA examination reports, particularly regarding the sufficiency of the in-service injury and nexus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for a right shoulder disability, a cardiac disability (claimed as chest pain), and a right knee disability. The Veteran's left knee disability is found to be incurred in service, while his back disability may not be presumed due to its lack of onset during service or within one year thereafter.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hearing loss disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board found that her hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability under VA regulations.

The Board found that there is no evidence of hearing loss during service, and the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability cannot be presumed to have been incurred in service. The VA examiner opined that it was not possible to determine whether the Veteran's hearing loss is related to his military noise exposure without resorting to mere speculation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no current disability that can be linked to her in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss had its onset in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable since April 14, 2004. The VA audiological evaluations conducted did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of whether referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension may be necessary.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and tinnitus, were found to be severe enough to prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to February 10, 2011. However, the criteria for a TDIU before that date were not met due to his combined disability rating being less than 60%.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and erectile dysfunction are service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 20, 2012 and beginning August 20, 2012 is denied as there is no evidence supporting higher ratings.