Hearing loss decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities or verified stressor events in service.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded to the RO for review of additional evidence submitted by the veteran. The veteran's claim will be reconsidered and a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) will be provided.

The Board has vacated its previous decision and is now considering the case as if new evidence was received to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for vascular damage to both legs, but denied the claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran's claims are remanded for further development.

The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from November 9, 1999. The veteran's claim was initially denied but the appeal was remanded due to procedural defects.

The Board found that the veteran's current thoracic and cervical spine disorders are not related to service, and his bilateral hearing loss is not due to noise exposure in service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Board denied the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for left leg GSW residuals, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The veteran's claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a chronic back disorder (including spinal discomfort), and a chronic liver disorder due to lack of competent medical evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic headaches. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and his active military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling an audiometry examination and verifying the qualifications of a medical expert who provided an opinion on the cause of the veteran's hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and left ear hearing loss disability, finding that current hearing loss disabilities were not related to service. The psychiatric disability claim was remanded.

The VA denied service connection for a skin disorder of the feet and did not grant an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for tympanosclerosis, right ear hearing loss, and chronic otitis media. The evaluations were found to be noncompensable.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral fungus infection of the ears, hearing loss, and PTSD have been granted. The veteran is currently receiving an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death from hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disability were denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service or inservice exposure to herbicides.

The veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, paronychia of the left fourth finger, paronychia of the right thumb, cellulitis of the left leg, and a scar on the right ear were all denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development due to a need for a VA examination and compliance with VCAA notification requirements.

The veteran's claim for an extraschedular rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded to the RO for further consideration of newly submitted evidence.