Hearing loss decisions — 2002

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

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The veteran was granted service connection for hypertension but assigned a 10 percent evaluation.

The veteran's service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease with hypertension, which was rated at 100% disabling from June 9, 1997 and reduced to 60% in August 1, 1998 due to reduction in service-connected disability rating, allowed the appellant to receive special monthly compensation based on additional independent 100 percent disability for purposes of accrued benefits.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for generalized osteoarthritis, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and PTSD are all granted due to combat exposure during World War II.

The Board has granted the reopening of the veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for residuals of a head injury, but has determined that additional development is needed before deciding whether he is entitled to service connection. The issue of entitlement to service connection remains undecided.

The Board has dismissed the issue of whether a substantive appeal received on February 5, 2001 was timely filed because it pertains to one of the claims that he already had perfected an appeal to the Board. The Board retains jurisdiction over the other issues: whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for residuals of a low back injury, and entitlement to a compensable rating for hearing loss in the right ear.

The veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than October 8, 1998 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The claim for a rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus has also been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated during active service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current level of disability did not warrant an increase beyond the assigned 0 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss warrants a 10 percent rating effective from August 31, 1998.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, residuals of an injury to the right posterior tibial nerve, and chronic bronchitis have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a greater than 10 percent evaluation for any condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear disease, hearing loss disability, degenerative joint disease of the glenohumeral joint, bilateral knee and ankle disabilities, and residuals of a right wrist injury. The evidence does not support the presence of these conditions during or after military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss in the left ear due to new and material evidence submitted since the April 1982 rating decision. The claim will be further developed before a final determination is made.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, which was previously denied in March 1989.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a compensable rating of 10 percent for COPD prior to January 21, 2002. The claims for tinnitus, sinusitis, hemorrhoids, and allergic rhinitis were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD and no increase in hearing loss during or after service.

The VA granted an initial increased evaluation of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss effective September 25, 1998 and a subsequent increase to 40 percent effective June 10, 1999.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss, as well as his request for an initial compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding of current or past hearing loss in either ear by VA standards.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, but rather to noise exposure during his post-service employment. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.