Hearing loss decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently evaluated at 10 percent and a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and a dermatological disorder (claimed as a rash) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active duty or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection of hearing loss, tinnitus, and a heart condition are denied. The claim for PTSD is also denied. Service connection for defective vision was previously denied in January 1946 and new evidence does not reopen this claim. Service connection for a heart condition was previously denied in August 1967 and no new evidence has been submitted to reopen this claim. The veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service.

The veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for a perforated right eardrum, and service connection for otomastoiditis of the left ear were denied. The effective date was not specified.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant an initial compensable disability rating, as his audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation based on the applicable VA rating schedule and regulations.

The VA denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for bilateral hearing loss, concluding that the evidence did not show that his hearing loss was aggravated by service.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, recurrent nosebleeds, and athletes foot, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss is a result of in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to his military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear is denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further review of additional evidence and for examinations related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and granted it. The other claims were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a bilateral hearing loss disability and denied her claim for service connection. The issue of an initial compensable evaluation for allergies is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The veteran's service connection claims for degenerative joint disease at L-1 and left ear hearing loss were granted, with a 10% evaluation assigned for residuals of gallbladder removal. The compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss is pending.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for his service-connected bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected conditions were denied.,He was awarded a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, effective January 19, 1999.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and did not grant a compensable rating for hearing loss in the left ear. The veteran's most recent VA examination showed mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear, but his hearing was within normal limits in the right ear.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service. The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of multiple myeloma was remanded.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation.