Hearing loss decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was not well-grounded and denied it.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing and for issuance of a Statement of the Case on service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for ratings in excess of 20 percent and 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not warrant such increased ratings.

The Board dismissed the appeal because no substantive appeal was filed within the required time frame regarding the issue of a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence submitted since the last denial supports a grant of benefits. The Board determined that the veteran sustained acoustic trauma during his military service in World War II, which resulted in current sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss is likely related to his military service, and thus granted his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes, finding that his disabilities did not meet the criteria for such a rating prior to January 20, 1993.

The Board has granted service connection for scars of the legs and a scar of the face, finding that there is competent medical evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's period of active service. The claim for a skin disorder and bilateral hearing loss was denied as not well grounded.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss was not well-grounded. The issue of an increased original evaluation for recurrent subluxation of the right ankle is remanded due to a lack of recent medical examination and further development is required.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is not well grounded. The RO was instructed to obtain medical records and conduct examinations to determine the severity of his right ear hearing loss, considering both old and new rating criteria. If the benefit sought on appeal is denied, the veteran should be provided with a supplemental statement of the case.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current level of service-connected left ear hearing loss did not warrant such an increase.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is well-grounded. The evidence shows that the veteran experienced acoustic trauma during his active duty and currently suffers from moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, which the VA examiner opined was likely secondary to noise exposure, a previous ear infection after an in-service explosion, and aging.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and found it to be well-grounded. The claims for jungle rot of the feet, blackout spells, dizziness, numbness and tingling of the hands, viral hepatitis, and sinusitis are pending further development and review.