Hearing loss decisions — 2005

The veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is granted as incurred in service due to exposure to acoustic trauma. The claims for tinnitus and squamous and basal cell carcinoma are remanded for further examination.

The Board has denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, bronchitis, and hearing loss. Service connection was granted for tinnitus based on in-service noise exposure.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that a non-compensable evaluation adequately reflects the severity of the disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral hearing loss, or a skin disorder that is service-connected. The evidence did not establish an in-service stressor for PTSD and there was no medical diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, as it was caused by exposure to loud sounds during his time in active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a chronic acquired disorder of the lumbar spine as secondary to service-connected shell fragment wounds (SFWS) of the abdomen with penetration of the liver and injury to muscle group XIX, finding that there was no causal relationship between these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a 30 percent rating, and his residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right thigh with tendonitis of the iliotibial band warrant a 10 percent rating. The veteran is therefore granted increased ratings for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current residuals of a cold injury, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss may be associated with his active service, but further examination is needed to determine its etiology. Service connection for the stomach problem claimed by the veteran remains in dispute.

The Board finds that the veteran's left ear hearing loss and related symptoms, including dizziness and loss of balance, were not incurred in service or due to any incident therein. The evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a compensable rating for hearing loss in his right ear, finding that the audiometric results did not meet criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise on whether the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his exposure to excessive noise over a prolonged period of time during service. As such, these claims have been granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for recognition as a former prisoner-of-war, service connection for various conditions, and reopening of previously denied claims. The reasons were that there was no evidence to support the veteran's status as a POW, his hearing loss and respiratory disorder were not shown by competent medical evidence to be related to service, arthritis and psoriasis were not shown to have been present in service or within one year post-service, PTSD was based on unsubstantiated stressors, and new and material evidence had not been submitted for the claims of hypertension and malaria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's disability evaluation schedule.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there is no evidence of current disability.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim. The Board also determined that his current hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted as of June 26, 1989. The September 1989 rating decision was found to be clearly and unmistakably erroneous.