Hearing loss decisions — 2006

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, resulting in a denial of his claim.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, impotence as secondary to prostate cancer, and a skin disorder due to Agent Orange exposure. The decision also noted that new evidence received since the last denial did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate any of these claims.

The Board is deferring appellate review of the claim of service connection for tinnitus and remanding the case to ensure VCAA compliance with Kent v. Nicholson, 20 Vet.App. 1 (2006).

The Board found no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that is related to service, and denied the veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated during military service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the veteran's hearing loss was present in service, related to service, or manifested itself to a compensable degree within a year following separation from active duty.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, chronic eye conditions, bilateral hearing loss, and a chronic back injury or disease. The evidence does not support these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his service, including noise exposure during military service. As such, the appeal for service connection is granted.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a more current and comprehensive audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is denied.

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

The Board found no evidence of arthritis during service and concluded that the veteran did not have a current diagnosis. The VA examiner could not determine if the bilateral hearing loss disability was pre-existing or aggravated by service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claims for service connection for PTSD and foot fungus were both granted. The decision also noted that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating due to his hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for the claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, bronchial asthma, degenerative joint disease of the right and left knees, headaches, and a low back disorder.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is manifested by an average pure tone threshold of 63 decibels in the right ear and 55 in the left ear with discrimination ability of 88 percent in the right ear and 84 percent in the left ear. The criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for vertigo, finding that there was no evidence of a continuity of symptomatology post-service.

The VA Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of hearing impairment meeting the criteria for impaired hearing at separation from service. The claims are therefore denied.

The veteran's hearing loss was rated as noncompensable from June 18, 2003 to June 22, 2005 and at 30 percent since June 22, 2005. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any period.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current disability is related to his period of active military service from February 1951 to June 1953.