Hearing loss decisions — 2003

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by acoustic trauma in service, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, ruptured left tympanic membrane, and tinnitus do not warrant higher ratings as they are currently rated at their maximum levels under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities, and thus service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss and granted service connection based on direct evidence showing that his current hearing impairment meets VA criteria. The issue of tinnitus is also addressed, with a finding in favor of service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss as no new and material evidence was received to reopen the claim.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied by the Board. The decision states that there is no legal merit to the claim as it cannot be assigned a retroactive effective date before September 26, 2000, when the original claim was received.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not warrant a rating higher than the current 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the earliest possible effective date was September 3, 1999.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for PTSD, finding that the veteran's clinical signs and manifestations meet the criteria for such a rating. The decision also denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating, as it was at level IX and noncompensable under both old and new VA criteria. The RO has not considered an extraschedular rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable initial rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to military service. The claim was reopened based on new evidence but still denied.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that he only has Level I hearing acuity in each ear.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a level of left ear hearing impairment at least meeting the minimum requirements to be considered a disability for VA purposes, and therefore denied service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. His bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10 percent, and his left wrist fracture from December 8, 2000 to January 31, 2001 warranted a 20 percent rating. However, the claim for a higher rating after May 1, 2001 was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is causally related to noise exposure during his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently suffer from hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied by the RO, as the VA audiometric examination in April 2002 revealed level I hearing in each ear, which corresponds to a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's initial noncompensable evaluation for bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss was proper, and thus denied a compensable evaluation.