Hearing loss decisions — 2002

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's right ear hearing loss disability, finding that it was caused by acoustic trauma during active duty.

The veteran's tinnitus was granted a 10% evaluation effective July 10, 2000. His bilateral hearing loss is not compensable.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has granted the reopening of the claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, but denied the request for an initial evaluation for left ear hearing loss.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet or nearly approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable disability evaluation criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and abdominal scars. The veteran was also found not to meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for high frequency hearing loss of the right ear as there was no evidence of a current disability meeting VA's definition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a current disability related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but denied service connection for right eye disability. The decision is mixed as it grants one issue and denies another.

The Board has granted service connection for detrusor instability and denied an initial compensable evaluation for the residuals of a right ankle sprain. Service connection was also established for hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of fracture of both tibias, as well as his service connection claims for PTSD, chronic dermatological disability, and chronic respiratory disability. The evidence did not support granting any of these claims.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated by his active service. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation during inactive duty training.

The Board has reopened the claims for pes planus, but denied the claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus as new and material evidence was not presented. The veteran's current conditions are considered to be service-connected based on direct service connection due to their onset in service or natural progression.

The veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including vocal cord issues and hearing loss, all claimed as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange. The Board has determined that additional development is needed due to recent legislation regarding presumption of exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board found no evidence of a current hearing disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For migraine headaches, the Board concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish a causal relationship with the veteran's service-connected tinnitus.

The Board found no evidence of current ear disability, including hearing loss, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a 10 percent evaluation from August 19, 1992 to May 23, 2001 and a 30 percent evaluation beginning May 24, 2001.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a partial tear of the left Achilles' tendon, and denied entitlement to a compensable rating for his bilateral high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss.