Hearing loss decisions — 2001

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection claims for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted. The appeal is also pending regarding a higher rating for his left ear hearing loss.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss during the veteran's service and concluded that his current hearing loss is not related to military service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in service and is denied.,Service connection for a left hip disorder is denied as the condition is not considered to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected shrapnel wound to the left thigh. However, secondary service connection for a left knee disorder is granted as it is aggravated by his service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating, and therefore denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's pre-service bilateral hearing loss did not increase in severity during his active duty or active duty for training, and thus service connection is denied.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his PTSD, papulopustular acne (claimed as chloracne), bilateral hearing loss, and subluxation of the temporomandibular joints with internal derangement of the right jaw joint were denied. The claim for a corneal abrasion of the left eye is referred to the RO.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability were denied. The RO confirmed the existing combined rating of 90 percent for service-connected disabilities, which included bilateral hearing loss (rated at 60%), lumbosacral strain (rated at 40%), PTSD (rated at 30%), residuals of TUR of the bladder neck with benign prostatic hypertrophy (rated at 20%), and a cyst of the epiglottis (noncompensable).

The veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, adjustment disorder with anxious features, and post traumatic headaches are all rated at the minimum compensable level of 10 percent. The RO has granted these evaluations effective from October 1998.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 10, 1976 for a combined 100 percent disability compensation rating is denied as there was no clear and unmistakable error in the original rating decisions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection and assigned a noncompensable evaluation for bilateral high frequency hearing loss. The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a higher initial evaluation, as it is currently rated at zero percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is due to inservice acoustic trauma and granted service connection for this condition. The claim for hearing loss remains pending as a separate issue.

The Board has determined that the appellant's perforated eardrums, otitis media, sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus are related to his military service and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has found no evidence that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss is related to his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss warrants a compensable evaluation of 10 percent, based on his April 2001 audiometric results.

The Board has denied all service connection claims for the appellant's claimed conditions, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support a grant of service connection.

The veteran's appeal of the issues related to right ear hearing loss, left hip disability, and back disability is denied. The issue of entitlement to an original rating for residuals of a fracture of the right maxillary bone will be remanded.