Hearing loss decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, fatigue, left ankle disorder, and cervical spine disorder, were not incurred or aggravated by his active duty military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that a rating in excess of 30 percent is not warranted under the schedular criteria or extra-schedular consideration.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development and consideration of his claims, including providing VCAA notice as required.

The Board denied service connection for shaking hands and tremors, as well as other conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active duty or an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for hearing loss in the left ear, service connection for hearing loss in the right ear, and service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The April 2003 VA audiological evaluation showed that the veteran had a noncompensable level of hearing acuity in both ears.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been remanded due to procedural deficiencies and the need for VCAA notification.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have left ear hearing loss that is related to military service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of notification regarding a scheduled VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an abnormal EKG, loss of right eye vision, fibromyalgia, circulatory dysfunction of the lower extremities, loss of teeth, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The reasons were that there was no diagnosis of PTSD, no credible supporting evidence for the occurrence of in-service stressors, no chronic disease associated with an abnormal EKG, no causal relationship between herbicide exposure and the claimed conditions, and no service connection could be established.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, residuals of a stroke, and TDIU due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions. The veteran was found not to have current disabilities that would warrant service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and neck, back, and shoulder disorders. However, the evidence does not establish a current disability or link it to active service.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a more recent VA audiometric examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional evidence and an examination, as well as a de novo review.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a hearing loss disability and thus cannot establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during his periods of active duty service. The VA audiologist opined that it is unlikely that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current chronic right ear hearing loss, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete medical records and need for additional examinations.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disability (Bipolar Disorder), and vision loss. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for hearing loss, and that there was no link between any current psychiatric or eye disabilities and service.