Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. No higher rating is available for these conditions.

The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder was granted. The Board found that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is likely caused by chronic right hip pain associated with his service-connected post-operative residuals of an excision of a tumor of the right hip with arthritis.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service. The VHA consultant concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are more likely due to post-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable prior to April 9, 2007 and as 10 percent since then. The current rating is deemed inadequate.

The Board has determined that a new examination is necessary to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as obtain any relevant treatment records. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions as a result of his service. His claims for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or related to service, including noise exposure during service. As a result, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during service or as a result of service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities was factually ascertainable as of December 6, 2006. Therefore, an effective date of June 6, 2007 for the TDIU is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular evaluation criteria. The appeal is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not manifested during her periods of active service and is not considered to be related to such service. The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is manifested by pure tone threshold averages and speech recognition scores that correspond to not worse than level 'I' hearing on the right and level 'VIII' hearing on the left, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss disability is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service. The evidence did not establish a medical nexus between his military service and these conditions.

The Board found no nexus between the Veteran's active duty and his currently shown bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, thus denying service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, but a VA examiner will need to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that his current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service.