Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is of service origin and grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased disability rating for urticaria, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not warrant such an increase.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated noncompensable under the old and revised rating criteria, as his pure tone thresholds do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated at a noncompensable level prior to June 10, 1999, and at a 30 percent level as of that date.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations. The issue of entitlement to a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes remains unresolved.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for multiple conditions, including a shrapnel wound to the right leg, pulmonary tuberculosis, peptic ulcer disease, nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, poor visual acuity, hearing loss, beriberi with neuritis, and nutritional deficiency. The decision also addressed the veteran's claim for former prisoner of war (POW) status for VA benefits.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ear hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities, finding that they do not meet the criteria for a schedular evaluation greater than 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well grounded, as there was no credible evidence supporting his assertions of in-service injury and exposure.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for consideration of recent changes in rating criteria and issuance of a supplemental statement of the case.

The veteran's increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from 10 percent to the current rating was granted by the RO, but no effective date is specified.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is consistent with noise exposure during service and granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not well grounded, as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected due to in-service acoustic trauma. However, there is no competent medical evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD or other psychiatric disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder. The claim for these conditions is not well-grounded.

The veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The RO granted service connection and assigned noncompensable evaluations to all disabilities except right ankle arthritis and residual of fracture of the right fibula, which was rated at 20 percent effective December 1, 1998.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left shoulder injury residuals, and back strain are not well-grounded because there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were not well-grounded, as there was no competent medical evidence linking his current disabilities to his military service or any exposure therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his claim was not well-grounded due to a lack of evidence linking his current hearing loss to service.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability in service and concluded that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service. The claim was therefore denied.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently manifested by an average pure tone threshold of 64 decibels and speech discrimination ability of 88 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under either the old or new VA regulations. Therefore, his claim for increased compensation was denied.