Hearing loss decisions — 2002

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not warrant a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation criteria.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss in the left ear and other conditions, finding no new and material evidence. The claims for headaches, sinusitis, social phobia, OCD, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and depressive disorder were also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his period of active service, specifically noise exposure while serving with an engineer battalion. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are linked to his active military service, with noise exposure being the primary factor. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not occur during service or are otherwise related to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing hearing loss in the right ear increased in severity during service due to noise exposure, and thus granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right ankle disability and hearing loss in the right ear do not warrant a compensable initial rating.

The Board has determined that a rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability is warranted from February 14, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss does not warrant an evaluation greater than 10 percent, and his bilateral otitis externa does not meet criteria for a compensable evaluation. The RO continued the current evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and a higher rating for lumbosacral strain, finding that his preservice left ear hearing loss did not increase in severity during service.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to exposure to artillery noise during service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear, finding no current evidence meeting regulatory requirements.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no current evidence of these conditions meeting regulatory requirements.

The veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 60 percent, the maximum available rating under Diagnostic Code 5293 for pronounced intervertebral disc syndrome. The other conditions are not granted as service connected.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the earliest date of entitlement was May 14, 1996.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a level of hearing loss sufficient to be considered a disability for VA purposes, and thus denied his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not due to noise exposure during military service.