Hearing loss decisions — 2003

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss due to aggravation during active duty. Service connection was not established for the claimed numbness of arms and twitching of right shoulder, as there were no objective indications of a chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for his anxiety reaction, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions. The Board also found that the current disability ratings were appropriate.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable disability rating schedule.

The Board denied the appellant's claims to reopen his service connection for right ankle disability and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted.

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

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and heart disorder, finding no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during active duty training.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for defective vision, residuals of a fever, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to military service.

For the period from April 24, 1996 to January 11, 1999, the veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent disabling.,For the period from April 24, 1996 to June 9, 1999, and since June 10, 1999, the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 60 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss was aggravated during service, warranting service connection. However, his left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10% since November 15, 2000.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including GSWs to both legs and left thigh, heart disorder, lung disorder, kidney disorder, back disorder, hearing loss, foot disorder, and knee disorder. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and degenerative joint disease of each hip, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for hypertension was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable under the VA rating schedule, and his claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of hearing loss during service and that any current hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are related to acoustic trauma sustained during military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The VA examiner opined that the most common cause of the type of sloping high frequency loss present in the veteran was noise exposure during military service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss is due to noise exposure during his military service, and thus grants service connection for hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the reduction in evaluation from 10 percent to 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss was proper, and denied increased evaluations for tinnitus, bilateral otitis media, and a perforated left tympanic membrane.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral pes planus worsened during service and granted service connection for this condition. The other issues were not resolved in favor of the veteran.