Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no increase in severity of pre-existing conditions during active duty and doubting the Veteran's credibility regarding his onset of tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 30 percent since November 6, 2007. The Board found that the evidence supported this rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted, with the exception of left ear hearing loss and gastrointestinal disability. The inner ear disability other than hearing loss was reopened due to new evidence, hypertension was not found to be related to service or service-connected conditions, and gastrointestinal disability was found to be aggravated by PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ear hearing loss, bunionectomy of metacarpal, left great toe, and bunionectomy of metacarpal, right great toe were denied as there is no evidence that the conditions are service-connected or warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, traumatic arthritis of the left knee, and a psychiatric disability including anxiety, depression, and psychosis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss in his right ear was not incurred or aggravated by active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, which represents a complete grant of the benefit sought on appeal. The issues of hearing loss of the left ear, low back condition, dizziness condition, and panic attacks/disorder (secondary to dizziness) are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision below and are REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center in Washington, D.C.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a 10 percent evaluation, the maximum evaluation authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. There is no legal basis for the assignment of a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service. The Board also noted that there was no evidence of these conditions in service or for many years thereafter. Service connection was denied on a direct basis.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, which may be related to service. The claim will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, and a back disability were denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his hearing loss and neck disability claims. The TDIU claim will be deferred until these issues are resolved.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not related to his active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating claim for service-connected left ear hearing loss was denied. His valvular heart disease claim was also denied as there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, as his audiometric test results do not meet the threshold criteria established by 38 C.F.R. § 3.385. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran seeks an increased evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, which was last evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss.