Hearing loss decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is necessary to address the current severity of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, as his representative indicated that the condition had worsened since the September 2002 VA examination. The case is REMANDED for additional development including VCAA notice and obtaining medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA audiological examination to determine if any current hearing impairment of the left ear originated during service or is otherwise related to service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss of the left ear and entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for service-connected hearing loss of the right ear will be considered following this development.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for the claimed right inguinal hernia, left ear hearing loss, or right ankle condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected and granted a grant of service connection. The veteran's tinnitus, currently rated at 10 percent, remains unchanged.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his fused distal interphalangeal joint, third finger, left hand; scars, second and fourth fingers, left hand; and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation under applicable rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is a result of in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral high frequency hearing loss does not meet the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating for hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss did not warrant a higher evaluation, and his tinnitus was not related to military noise exposure.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluation of right knee disability, service connection for right shoulder disorder, reopening of a claim for bilateral hearing loss, and extension of temporary total evaluation following surgery were all denied by the RO.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU due to a service-connected disability. The VA found that the veteran's bilateral audiometric test results corresponded to numeric designations no worse than Level VI in both ears, warranting a 30 percent disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's fractured middle finger of the left hand and a noncompensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability. The claimant is not entitled to an increased rating.

The veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his service connection claims, including a request for an increased disability rating and effective date changes. The case is being remanded due to procedural issues.

The Board has granted service connection for the residuals of an infectious disease (meningitis) and bilateral hearing loss, finding that both conditions are related to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for glucose intolerance (claimed as type 2 diabetes mellitus), hypertension, and right ear hearing loss were denied. The claim for increased evaluation of tinnitus was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The veteran's claims will be re-adjudicated after this process.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus do not warrant a compensable rating, as they are both rated at their maximum under applicable VA regulations. The claim for benign positional vertigo is also denied.

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates on service connection for multiple disabilities, individual unemployability, and Dependents' Educational Assistance have been denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the veteran filed claims prior to 1979.