Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims, including a lack of audiological examination.

The Veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with no worse than Level I hearing acuity in the right ear. The Board finds that a compensable evaluation is not warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with noise exposure being a significant factor.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and pulmonary fibrosis (claimed as asbestosis). The appeals were based on new evidence received after final decisions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus the Veteran's claims are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of June 4, 2007, for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone precluded gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred in service and is granted as service connection.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his employability.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, primarily bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Veteran's claim for right ear hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence during service or within one year post-service. His claim for psychotic depressive disorder was not reopened as new and material evidence was not provided.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to have originated in service due to acoustic trauma, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms since service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently noncompensably disabling.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no current disability for the claim of bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for tinnitus as it was diagnosed during active duty.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence received since previous final decisions raises reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The Board also granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is not warranted as there is no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and active military service.