Hearing loss decisions — 2004

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, chloracne, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety), sinusitis, cervical spine myositis, and lumbar spine myositis were denied as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss disability is not service-connected, but his right ear disorder and hearing loss disability are considered incurred in active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. The claim of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for skin cancer is remanded for further development.

The veteran's cervical spine disability, characterized as degenerative disc disease with herniated nucleus pulposus, has been granted an increased evaluation to 30 percent effective September 26, 2003. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains unresolved.

The Board finds that the veteran's right ear hearing loss is service-connected, while his left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a current disability as defined by VA regulations.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a more current VA examination of his bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran withdrew his appeal of the initial compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, effectively dismissing the issue.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence did not establish a link to service or current disability.

The Board has requested additional development to determine if the veteran has hearing loss and whether it is related to service, as his claim was previously denied due to lack of a demonstrated hearing disability.

The Board denied service connection for dementia and hearing loss, but granted a 10% disability rating for conjunctivitis. Service connection for bilateral pterygium was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or left kidney disorder, and therefore service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.

The veteran's service-connected chronic serous otitis media of the left ear with perforated tympanic membrane, hearing loss, and headaches have not been found to warrant a higher initial rating.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased (compensable) rating for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claim for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus as a residual of Agent Orange exposure during service was denied. The RO also remanded the issue of entitlement to an initial (compensable) evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran is seeking an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, which was initially rated at 10 percent. The RO has ordered a new VA examination to assess the current level of disability due to allegations of worsening since the last evaluation in October 2002.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA audiological evaluation and consideration of additional evidence. The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and malaria are pending.

The veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, and the RO found that it did not warrant a higher rating based on VA criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service and cannot be presumed to have been present due to his period of military service. The evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss. The veteran's testimony regarding noise exposure during his military service is considered, but the decision on whether this evidence establishes a nexus between current hearing loss and service remains pending.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not have its onset during service and denied his claim of entitlement to service connection for this condition.