Hearing loss decisions — 2003

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

The Board has granted service connection for sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are due to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and found a link between the veteran's exposure to acoustic trauma in service and his current bilateral hearing loss. The low back disability with radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is not addressed as it was remanded.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is required, and the case is being remanded to the RO for a review of whether all evidence needed to consider the claims has been obtained.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development and consideration, including scheduling a hearing before the Board.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was caused by noise exposure in service, and granted his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, suppurative otitis media (right ear), and postoperative residuals of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. The RO continued the current ratings as 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, 10 percent for right ear suppurative otitis media, and noncompensable for postoperative residuals of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and found no basis for granting the requested increased evaluations for pes planus and otitis media.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, but has granted an extraschedular evaluation of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current low back disorder is incurred in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The other issues of bilateral hearing loss, bilateral hip disorder, and hypertension are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions as due to an undiagnosed illness, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.

The veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is determined to be the result of acoustic trauma sustained during active military service, and thus granted service connection.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was granted, with the effective date being January 4, 1999.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and opinions regarding the veteran's lung disability and hearing loss.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, effective December 1988. The claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss remains unresolved.

The veteran's hearing loss disability is currently rated at 40 percent. The Board has withdrawn the issue of increased rating for hearing loss due to the veteran's request. Service connection for vertigo (Meniere's disease) is granted as secondary to his service-connected hearing loss, but a higher rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss disability from July 14, 1993 to June 10, 1999 remains denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred in service due to noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated during service and is not related to any incident of service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.