Hearing loss decisions — 2002

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated during active service and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss is at its most severe level, warranting a 100% evaluation. The claim for TDIU seeking a benefit not provided by law remains denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right ring finger disorder do not warrant a compensable rating under VA regulations.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence showing current hearing impairment within VA's criteria. The issue will be further adjudicated after additional development.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with the examiner opining that these conditions are related to noise exposure during military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding service connection for bilateral ear pain. The claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a loss in documented hearing acuity to warrant a compensable rating.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally linked to noise exposure during active duty and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluation of bilateral hearing loss and failed to reopen his claim for service connection for lead in the blood due to lack of new and material evidence. The RO has already assigned a non-compensable rating (30%) for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the veteran does not have hearing loss related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the veteran's right ear hearing loss is service-connected, as it is at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure. However, there is no evidence of left ear hearing loss or low back and right knee disabilities incurred during active duty.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is a result of exposure to acoustic trauma during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss did not contribute substantially or materially to his death due to cardiopulmonary arrest caused by coronary heart disease and hypertension. The evidence does not establish a direct link between the veteran's service-connected hearing loss and his cause of death.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have a hearing loss disability as defined in VA regulations and therefore, service connection for hearing loss cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claim will now be reviewed on its merits.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was previously denied in June 1984. The veteran presented testimony indicating that his pre-existing hearing loss was aggravated by noise exposure during service.

The Board found that the appellant's pre-existing left ear hearing loss did not worsen during his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, as his hearing acuity did not exceed Level II in either ear.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating under the applicable criteria.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for temporomandibular joint dysfunction and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The right ear hearing loss prior to March 9, 2000 was not rated as compensable, while the bilateral hearing loss from that date was also not rated above a noncompensable level.