Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which he claims is due to noise exposure in service. The claim is being remanded for further development including obtaining service personnel records and a Social and Industrial Survey.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA rating schedule. The issues of service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, back disorder, and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for hearing loss resulting from combat operations and foot injuries caused by cold, wet weather conditions during the winter of 1944. The veteran's spouse provided testimony corroborating his statements about in-service symptoms.

The Board has granted service connection for IBS and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left ankle disability, and bilateral eye disability. The veteran's IBS is found to have its onset during service, while there is no evidence of hearing loss or other disabilities in question within the VA-defined criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and a permanent 100 percent rating for PTSD. The decision is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be due to noise exposure during military service, and service connection for this condition is granted. The right ear hearing loss evaluation remains unchanged.

The Board denied service connection for a stomach and/or gastrointestinal disability, hearing loss of the left ear, and a disability of the mandible as they were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has granted an increased rating for the veteran's tinnitus from noncompensable to 10 percent, while denying any increase in his right ear hearing loss.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess his hearing loss, tinnitus, and psychiatric disability.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss based on military service prior to March 1989. The claims for tinnitus and residuals of a perforated right eardrum are being remanded due to incomplete evidence.

The Board has granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that his audiometric results warrant this rating based on the criteria set forth in VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for shell fragment wound scars of the neck and left mastoid area, residuals of an injury to Muscle Group XXII (MG XXII), and bilateral hearing loss. The RO assigned separate disability ratings for these conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis and bilateral hearing loss were denied as the evidence did not support a grant of service connection, with the exception that an examination was scheduled but the veteran failed to report.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and a low back disability, but granted an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for lumbosacral strain, which is the maximum schedular evaluation available.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating of 10 percent for GERD has been granted, effective from March 23, 2000. The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected GERD does not warrant a higher evaluation.

The veteran's effective date for additional compensation for a dependent spouse is set to August 27, 1993, with the commencement of payment on September 1, 1993. This decision grants his claim based on the criteria that the earliest possible effective date aligns with the date of his increased disability rating.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the appellant does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD, and therefore denied this claim. The hearing loss disability is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to exposure to loud noise during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The RO granted service connection for PTSD, but denied the other issues on appeal.