Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has found that there is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's currently existing hearing loss to his active duty service. The Board also finds that there is no competent medical evidence documenting sensorineural hearing loss for VA purposes within one year of the Veteran's discharge, which would allow for a grant of service connection on a presumptive basis. As such, the claim for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability. The appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for dermatofibrosis; Bowen's disease (claimed as soft tissue sarcoma) is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical examination and needs further evaluation of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the appellant's exposure to noise during his National Guard service and to evaluate his current hearing loss and tinnitus. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is manifested by audiometric test results corresponding to numeric designations no worse than Level I in each ear and by speech recognition ability no worse than 96% in each ear. The criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to service, while his left ear hearing loss does not meet VA criteria for a disability. The claim for right ear hearing loss is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset during active service or result from disease or injury in service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss since December 7, 2006 was granted and he is currently rated at 100 percent.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted as it was incurred during active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and for a new VA audiological evaluation. The issue of entitlement to an increased disability evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss disability will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was previously rated at 10 percent prior to November 1, 2006. Since then, his hearing acuity has not worsened enough to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's headaches are aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran has been diagnosed with chloracne, presumed due to Agent Orange exposure during his Vietnam service.,There is no evidence of a current hearing loss or tinnitus that can be linked to the Veteran's military service. The Board finds that service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.,The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection and initial rating of hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further medical development.

The Veteran's request for a hearing before the Board has been noted, and his name will be placed on the docket for a Travel Board hearing at the RO. The appeal is being remanded to allow this process to occur.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability. The Veteran's claim for a chronic back/spine disorder to include as secondary to a service-connected disability is referred to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining verification of his dates of service in the Air Force Reserve and scheduling a VA audiometric examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to excessive noise during his military service, including from F1 fighter jets, KC-135 jet tanks, B52 bombers, other aircraft engines, explosions from mortar and rocket attacks, and small arms fire at firing ranges. The Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral tinnitus were established by VA examination, and the Board found that there was credible lay evidence supporting his exposure to noise during service. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to her failure to appear at a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for further examination and development of his service connection claims.