Hearing loss decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to noise exposure during his military service, warranting service connection.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded to the RO due to uncertainty in the severity of his condition. An additional audiogram and Maryland CNC speech recognition test are needed to determine if there has been any change in his hearing loss since the previous evaluations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical examination reports and failure to provide proper notice of secondary service connection.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been increased to a 50 percent rating effective March 24, 2004.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of hearing loss disability, tinnitus disability, asthma, congestive heart failure, and low back disability before a decision was made by the Board.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found that there was no evidence of current hearing loss meeting VA criteria for a disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, nor did the veteran have tinnitus etiologically related to his service.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The veteran's residuals of nondisplaced left wrist navicular fracture are granted as incurred during active service. The issues of bilateral hearing loss and lumbosacral strain are remanded for further development.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss warrants a 10 percent disability rating, as his most recent VA audiometric evaluation did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the requirements for such a rating.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence linking the veteran's psychiatric, gastrointestinal, or right ear hearing loss disabilities to service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding in favor of any of these claims.

The Board found that the veteran did not submit new and material evidence to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as the submitted evidence was cumulative or redundant of previous records.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation, as his current hearing levels do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under the applicable disability rating schedule.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and right knee disability were granted. The claim for a compensable evaluation for macular degeneration was denied. The veteran is now service-connected for PTSD with a rating of 50%.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral pes planus with left Achilles tendonitis. The evidence does not support a finding of current disability for bilateral hearing loss, and the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted, while his claim for service connection for hemorrhoids was denied. The decision is final as the veteran did not appeal the denial of service connection for varicose veins in October 1983.