Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability meets the criteria for a 10 percent initial evaluation throughout the course of the appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding no credible evidence relating these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis. The Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss are not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's periods of active service and a need for further examination to determine if his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as 30 percent disabling prior to October 18, 2010 and as 10 percent disabling from October 18, 2010. The RO denied an evaluation in excess of these ratings.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not etiologically related to active service, and his claim for VA compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of Gentamicin toxicity was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus did not have onset in service or due to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the appellant's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) in the Army National Guard, as well as to obtain any relevant private audiological records. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have residuals of frostbite to his neck or lower extremities, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions. The Board also found no evidence linking any bilateral knee or hip disabilities to his military service, including as secondary to his claimed residuals of frostbite.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The Board also found that there is a reasonable possibility that the Veteran's current tinnitus may be related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the increased rating of tinnitus at a hearing. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the inconsistency in audiometric results and the need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted based on continuity of symptomatology since military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial compensable disability ratings were denied. The appeal for bilateral degenerative joint disease of metatarsophalangeal joints with bilateral calcaneal spurs and severe pes planus was withdrawn by the Veteran, while his claims for left ear hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and tinea pedis remained denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a lack of a VA examination related to the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service discharge, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly decide the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension. Specifically, an addendum to the November 2006 VA examination report must be obtained addressing the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, including as due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions are less likely due to military noise exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is causally related to active service. The issue of service connection for tinnitus remains pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran's claims for compensable disability ratings for onychomycosis, tinea ungium of all toenails, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.