Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is not well grounded, and therefore denied.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss of the right ear and sinusitis due to lack of current medical evidence meeting VA criteria. The veteran's claim was not well-grounded as he did not submit sufficient evidence to establish a current disability.

The VA denied the veteran's request for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss and did not reopen his claim for service connection for hepatitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a respiratory disability, including emphysema. The decision found that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable due to the current level of disability not meeting criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well grounded, as there was no competent medical evidence linking his current conditions to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his bilateral otitis media and hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent for either condition.

The Board granted a noncompensable evaluation for service-connected high frequency hearing loss of the left ear and an effective date of February 12, 1997 for entitlement to a permanent and total disability rating for nonservice-connected disability pension purposes.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and manifestations of undiagnosed illnesses, were denied. The RO found that the veteran did not submit well-grounded claims for these issues.

The Board has determined that the case must be returned to the RO for further development and consideration, including considering extraschedular evaluation for tinnitus and determining whether timely notices of disagreement were filed regarding effective dates.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for spondylosis, L5-S1. The decision found that the veteran did not have a disability due to impaired hearing as defined for veterans' benefits and that his spondylosis does not warrant an increased rating.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at a 10 percent disability level, effective July 1, 1993.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for hearing loss, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted since the April 1973 RO decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are due to exposure to loud noises from guns during service. The claim for otitis media of the left ear is not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation under either the old or new criteria, and his tinnitus is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. Therefore, both issues are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and vision loss are not well grounded. As such, these claims cannot be granted.

The veteran's organic brain syndrome was granted a 30% rating effective March 18, 1998. His radiation retinopathy of the right eye remains at a 10% rating and his hearing loss with tinnitus does not have an assigned rating.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for hearing loss, loss of visual acuity, and hypothyroidism (to include as due to an undiagnosed illness) are not well grounded. The other conditions were also not well grounded.