Hearing loss decisions — 2003

The Board has granted the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that exposure to noise in service is at least as likely as not the cause of these conditions.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, as it is currently evaluated at 20 percent.

The Board found that the evidence received since the December 1994 rating decision is not new and material, and thus denied reopening of the claims for service connection for schizophrenia, headaches, and hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent.

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

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection for various conditions due to an undiagnosed illness. The evidence did not meet the criteria for any compensable evaluations or service connections.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, skin disorders, an undiagnosed illness, gout, muscle tension headaches, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, hearing loss, and diabetes mellitus. The reasons were that these conditions are known diseases or diagnostic entities and not due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the denial of service connection for left ear hearing loss in the September 1971 rating decision was due to clear and unmistakable error, and therefore, service connection is granted.

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

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and the veteran's service records do not show any in-service noise exposure. Therefore, the claims for service connection are denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the evidence of record.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss do not warrant higher disability ratings, while his scar from lipoma removal is currently noncompensable.

The veteran's service connection claim for hearing loss was denied as he does not have a current disability that meets VA criteria.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating prior to July 30, 2001 and a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss from July 30, 2001. The effective date remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection, finding no current disabilities or evidence of in-service injuries that would support these claims.

The VA denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss, as his current disability level is rated at Level XI (profound sensorineural hearing loss) with no speech recognition ability.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there was no current disability meeting VA criteria.

The veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is considered to have begun in service due to noise exposure, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss began during his active service and granted service connection for it.