Hearing loss decisions — 2003

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a higher evaluation under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no current disability or evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The veteran's right ear hearing loss was incurred in service, and his left ear hearing loss is considered to have been aggravated by service. The residuals of a postoperative ulcer are not related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The RO granted service connection for spinal stenosis, lumbar spine and assigned a 60% evaluation, but did not issue a Statement of the Case (SOC) regarding this decision.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is manifested by no worse than level II hearing in the right ear and level II in the left ear throughout the appeal period. The Board has determined that his hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under any applicable rating schedule.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as his audiometric test results consistently reflect levels of hearing acuity no worse than level I in the left ear and level XI in the right ear.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss from June 11, 2001 was denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The veteran has Level I auditory acuity in each ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased disability rating for hearing loss, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to consider this claim.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for chronic otitis media with bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current level of disability does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his pre-existing hearing loss existed prior to service entry and was not aggravated by active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss will be addressed in a separate remand.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as his current hearing levels do not meet the criteria for an increased evaluation.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the appeal for these conditions is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and an increased rating of 30 percent for residuals of gunshot wound to the right foot with degenerative arthritis.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for hearing loss and denied evaluations in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from October 30, 1998, to January 26, 2000. The appeal is dismissed as it pertains to an issue no longer before VA.

The Board has reopened the claims of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to new evidence submitted by the appellant.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus are both attributable to service, leading to a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.