Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The Board has dismissed the appeals of the issues related to service connection for vision loss, hearing loss, left and right knee disorders, and fracture of the nasal septum with deviation as no timely substantive appeal was filed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a right testicle disorder, hearing loss in the right ear, and left epididymitis are not well-grounded. The claim for increased ratings for headache disorder and left epididymitis is also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative joint disease of the hands and feet, and degenerative joint disease of the knees. The evidence did not meet the criteria for new and material evidence in reopening any of these claims.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and increased evaluations for post-traumatic stress disorder. The veteran's preexisting hearing loss was not aggravated during military service, and the evaluations in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder were denied as there was no increase in severity.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, and respiratory disorder are not well-grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of entitlement to an increased evaluation under any applicable rating criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a chronic nasal and sinus disability. The TDIU claim is held in abeyance pending completion of development.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and determined that a noncompensable evaluation was appropriate for left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, residuals of a fracture of the right ring finger, and injuries to the right knee, back, and neck. The veteran's claim for a compensable rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 is still pending.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a compensable rating of 10% for tinnitus. The veteran's hearing loss is found to be directly related to service, while his tinnitus is also considered service-connected.

The Board granted service connection for residuals of a contusion of the right middle finger. However, it denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of medical evidence linking the current disability to service.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss was not well-grounded due to a lack of current evidence meeting VA standards for hearing impairment. The left ear hearing loss issue is pending and will be addressed in a separate remand.

The VA denied a compensable evaluation for the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not meet the criteria based on the current rating criteria.

The Board has found the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to be well-grounded and has remanded the case for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for restoration of a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, as his most recent audiometric testing does not meet the criteria under the revised VA regulations.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 30 percent for the left knee disability, effective from when the current evaluation was last increased in March 1994. The other claims were not addressed as they are not service connection issues.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss and bilateral knee disorder are not well-grounded. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a current disability as defined by VA regulations, and there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for service-connected hearing loss of the left ear is denied as his current 10% rating is the maximum allowed under VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, histoplasmosis and its residuals, hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and lumbar back strain with degenerative disc disease. The RO granted a 40 percent evaluation for the lumbar condition effective April 12, 1995.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss. The veteran's claim for right ear hearing loss is not well-grounded.

The Board determined that a 10 percent evaluation was warranted for bilateral hearing loss with otosclerosis, effective November 1993.