Hearing loss decisions — 2001

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by active service and is not related to acoustic trauma therein. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board found no current hearing impairment for VA purposes and denied the claim of service connection for a hearing loss. The claim of service connection for coronary artery disease was also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence linking his current hearing loss to his military service.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, citing a lack of available service medical records and failure to meet the criteria for establishing a current disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted in relation to his claims, and thus denied all of the service connection claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, PTSD, and SFWs of the thighs were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding of service connection or an increased rating.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability evaluation for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss effective June 10, 1999. The appellant's hearing loss is currently manifested by puretone threshold averages of 58.75 decibels in the right ear and 57.5 decibels in the left ear with speech recognition scores of 88 percent for both ears.

The veteran withdrew his appeal before a decision was made.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, blepharochalasis, a low back disorder, and a right rotator cuff tear due to lack of evidence meeting VA criteria for these conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hyperkeratosis of the feet, right ankle sprain, right ear hearing loss, and right heel calcaneal spur were denied as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA compensation examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection, finding that his postoperative residuals of a deviated nasal septum did not warrant service connection due to preexisting condition. The other issues were also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a cold injury (frostbite), hypertension, a heart disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, a psychiatric disability including PTSD and a circulatory disability. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to changes in the law and failure to provide proper notice.

The Board denied an increased rating for the service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not warrant a compensable evaluation under either the old or new provisions of the rating schedule.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been properly evaluated as noncompensable under both the former and revised rating criteria, with the version most favorable to the veteran applied.

The Board found that the veteran did not submit a timely substantive appeal regarding service connection for rhinitis, hypertension, pes planus, hearing loss and tinea cruris as well as entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. The reduction from 30 percent to 0 percent in the rating for right eye blindness was improper.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.