Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied the other issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of thyroid cancers, increased ratings for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus are not well grounded. The RO denied these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for otitis media, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not well-grounded. The claim for otitis media was denied because there is no evidence of current disability. For bilateral hearing loss, the Board determined that it did not preexist service as noted at the time of entrance examination, but also found that there was no medical evidence to show aggravation during service. Tinnitus was considered plausible under the law.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, finding that both conditions were rated appropriately under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is likely due to noise exposure during his military service, and thus granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is not well grounded.,The appellant's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is found to be well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of a nexus between any current disabilities and the veteran's active duty service, including as due to a fungal infection of the ears.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed because they died during the pendency of their appeal.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection due to his hearing loss not meeting the criteria for impairment under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder, tinnitus, right ear hearing loss, and residuals of ruptured right ear drum. The appeals on whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for left ear hearing loss and cervical spine disorder were dismissed due to lack of timely substantive appeal.

The veteran is seeking to reopen his claim of service connection for hearing loss. The RO has requested additional medical records from the VA clinic in Mobile, where the veteran received treatment about three months prior to a September 1997 hearing. These records are needed to determine if they contain evidence that could support reopening the claim.

The Board found that there is no current, competent diagnosis of PTSD related to an in-service stressor. Therefore, the claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as not well grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss in the right ear, finding that the claim was not well grounded due to a lack of medical evidence linking current hearing loss to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a right knee meniscectomy, 60 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with disc bulge at L3-L4, or 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder. The veteran's claim for increased ratings for right ear hearing loss was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, increased rating for PTSD, and arthritis of the low back and right hip. The decision concluded that the preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board denied an increased rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that neither the old nor new regulations governing the rating of hearing loss are more favorable to the veteran.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not severe enough to qualify for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right ear hearing loss and a compensable evaluation for lumbosacral strain.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and residuals of left eye contusion as not well grounded. The claim for post-traumatic subacromial bursitis of the shoulders is granted based on in-service onset, while the claim for severe allergic reaction to fire ant/bee stings is also granted due to in-service onset.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is related to his exposure to acoustic trauma during service and grants service connection for this condition.