Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disorder is not shown to be due to a disease or injury in service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and an upper back condition, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted as the evidence supports these conditions having onset during or being related to military service.

The Board has determined that a more detailed examination and opinion are needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and Meniere's syndrome.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for a new VA or VA-authorized examination at an agreed upon location. The Veteran's lay statements will be considered along with all other evidence of record.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated noncompensably throughout the appeal period due to average pure tone thresholds of 34 in the right ear and 31 in the left ear, resulting in a Level III rating. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a compensable schedular rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and an initial compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for right ear hearing loss and determining that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability in either ear.

The Board denied reopening and granting service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to June 30, 2008. The decision found that there was no pending claim or medical evidence supporting such a determination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis C were denied as there is no evidence of current disability that meets the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination and updated treatment records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The Board also finds that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss originated during his period of active duty.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) did not cause or contribute to his death from Alzheimer's disease and related conditions. The VA opinions indicated that HSP was not a primary cause of death.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to verify the Veteran's reported stressors and obtain relevant unit histories. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine whether he suffers from PTSD due to verified stressors, as well as for an audiological examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further examination and review of the Veteran's claims file.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the left inguinal hernia had not recurred, with a scar size less than 6 square inches and no functional limitation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not result in such an exceptional or unusual picture with related factors as marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalizations, thus the available schedular evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is adequate.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his active service and granted service connection for this condition. The claim for chronic upper respiratory infections (sinusitis) was denied as new and material evidence had not been received.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been manifested by no worse than Level I hearing in each ear, and thus does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.