Hearing loss decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is attributable to service and granted his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for PTSD, but did not grant the requested increased rating for PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The VA has determined that the veteran's hearing loss does not warrant an increased rating as it is currently evaluated at a noncompensable level.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not warrant a rating in excess of noncompensable, based on the evidence provided.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is of service origin and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, as it was likely caused by noise exposure during military service.

The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is manifested by auditory acuity level I in both ears.

The VA has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, as his average hearing loss is 26 decibels and he has a speech recognition score of 100 percent in the left ear. The noncompensable rating remains unchanged.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, with a rating of 10% each. The effective date for the award of a compensable evaluation for tinnitus is set at February 18, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain with sclerosis and a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his conditions did not warrant higher ratings based on the evidence provided.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current disability from left ear hearing loss that is related to his military service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was previously denied in 1993. The decision is based on the veteran's testimony regarding noise exposure during service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for right knee disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss, finding that his current hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA regulations and was not incurred or aggravated during active service.

The veteran's increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and labyrinthine irritation have been granted.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is due to noise exposure during his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.