Hearing loss decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with no presumption or secondary connection involved.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for psoriasis and bilateral hearing loss. The claim for service connection for psoriasis was denied due to lack of evidence showing a relationship between the condition and service, while the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence that the current hearing loss is related to service or service-connected left ear otitis externa.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus, hearing loss, and forehead scar were all granted with effective dates of November 9, 2001. The conditions are presumed to be related to military service or noise exposure.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that his level of hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found that the evidence submitted since the December 1952 decision does not meet the criteria for new and material evidence, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claim regarding CUE in the December 31, 1952 rating decision was also denied.

The Board does not have jurisdiction to review the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disability and neck disability, or the ratings assigned to the service-connected residuals of a left elbow fracture and irritable bowel syndrome.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted it, finding that his pre-existing right ear hearing loss was aggravated during service and attributing left ear hearing loss to a blast injury sustained in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his exposure to acoustic trauma during military service, and thus grants these claims.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted with a 100% disability rating effective July 11, 2000. The June and November 1997 decisions denying service connection were found to have been incorrect due to new evidence.

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

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. The appeal is granted.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss is remanded to the RO due to its inextricability with his claim of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral high frequency hearing loss, lower left leg disability, and chronic skin condition due to herbicide exposure. The decisions were based on a lack of evidence showing these conditions in service or within the relevant presumptive period.

The Board denied a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and did not address the earlier effective date claim.

The Board denied the veteran's attempts to reopen her claims for service connection for hearing loss, hemorrhoids, and fibrocystic breast disease due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and seizures, but granted service connection for tinnitus.

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

The Board has remanded the case due to new legal requirements under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000, and additional development is needed including obtaining medical records, arranging for examinations, and issuing a statement of the case.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a diagnosed disability in either case.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss is at levels consistent with a 0 percent rating under the VA rating schedule, and therefore denied his claim for an increased disability rating.