Hearing loss decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his current hearing acuity levels do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and his TDIU claim is denied as his combined disability rating of 80% does not meet the required percentage threshold.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no formal or informal claim was received before April 24, 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating at any time since the effective date of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the veteran's bilateral hearing loss began in service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a 30 percent disability rating, which is higher than his current 20 percent evaluation.

The veteran's hearing loss is not at a level of severity to warrant a compensable rating, and his claims for PTSD, tinnitus, coronary artery disease, and alcohol disease are denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the veteran's left eye disability and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant an initial compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss that amounts to a disability for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The veteran claims right ear hearing loss related to military service. The VA is remanding the case for a VA audiological examination to determine if current hearing loss is related to his service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examinations to determine if the veteran's current hearing loss, tinnitus, and perforated ear drum are related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an extraschedular evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, currently rated at 30 percent.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation, and thus denied his claims for increased evaluations.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss did not worsen during his periods of active service and is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate VCAA notice and incomplete medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and awarded a 10 percent disability evaluation, finding that the veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service. The initial rating for bilateral hearing loss remains at 10 percent.

The veteran's generalized anxiety disorder with PTSD features and right ear hearing loss have been granted service connection, but the evaluations are at their minimum (10%) since November 27, 2002.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to the need for further development and examination, including a VA psychiatric examination. The issues of service connection for tinnitus, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, an eye disorder, and a back disorder are being addressed.