Hearing loss decisions — 2001

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran was exposed to noise during his military service, which is considered a presumptive basis for hearing impairment. As a result, the Board finds that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his period of active military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a deviated nasal septum. The claim for an increased rating for bilateral otitis media will be remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, finding that his hearing impairment did not warrant such evaluations based on the available evidence.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss due to a lack of medical evidence showing current disability and no link between his in-service noise exposure and his condition.

The Board denied entitlement to an increased rating for residuals of a crush injury of the left hand and for residuals of excision of a metallic foreign body from the right heel, finding that the veteran's hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, residuals of frostbite, a back condition, and a left knee condition. The veteran's stomach condition was not found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The claim for an increased rating for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is denied.

The Board has reopened the claim of PTSD and determined that new evidence supports a diagnosis, leading to service connection for PTSD. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also found to be related to military service.

The Board has granted an effective date of August 25, 1997 for the TDIU rating due to the veteran's unemployability since his VA hospitalization in August 1997.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. Service connection for degenerative joint disease of the feet is addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss. The veteran's hearing loss disability is considered to be a direct result of his military service, as evidenced by the presence of hearing loss at both enlistment and discharge examinations.

The Board has determined that the veteran incurred a left ear hearing loss during his active service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and denied the claim of left ear hearing loss. The veteran's back disability is not currently service-connected.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the lack of a medical opinion linking his current hearing impairment to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating under VA regulations.

The Board has denied the appellant's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) has remanded the case, noting that additional records are needed and that the VA failed to adequately advise the appellant about his claim.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are most likely due to in-service acoustic trauma, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the veteran's disability rating from 10 percent to zero percent for bilateral hearing loss was proper. The RO must now obtain any relevant medical records and provide the veteran with a current audiology examination before readjudicating his claim.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent evaluation, but the appellant seeks an increased rating. The claim is addressed in the Remand section.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection effective June 14, 1996. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings for either condition.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for right ear hearing loss and bilateral otitis media were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable or higher evaluation under VA rating criteria.