Hearing loss decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or shoulder disorders, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active duty. The VA examination report concluded that the veteran's hearing loss was not related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating for diabetes mellitus, did not reopen his claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of new and material evidence, and found that tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for left ear conditions, but finds that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA audiological and ear examinations to assess the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and a VA psychiatric examination to determine the severity of his service-connected PTSD. The RO will then readjudicate the issues on appeal.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for a higher initial rating for left ear hearing loss and his petition to reopen the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss. The RO is instructed to provide proper VCAA notice, obtain all relevant records, arrange for an appropriate VA examination, and adjudicate the claims in light of all pertinent evidence.

The Board found that the veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to service exposure, while his left ear hearing loss was not incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss is not related to service and did not manifest within one year after separation from service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a sinus disorder, finding that his symptoms do not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under VA regulations.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of hearing loss disability in the right ear during service or within one year post-service, and concluded that it is not related to service. For the left ear, the Board noted that while there was a current diagnosis of mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss, the veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, right ear hearing loss, left knee disability, facial scars, and head trauma with headaches and blurred vision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensable evaluations for right ear hearing loss, otitis media, and antral gastritis due to lack of evidence supporting the requested increased ratings.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be due to in-service noise exposure, thus service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service medical records and the need for a VA examination.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including verification of his periods of active duty and National Guard service, obtaining medical records from those periods, and providing the veteran with VA examinations to determine if any of the claimed conditions occurred during such service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as his auditory acuity levels do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for a back disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions. The current diagnoses are not shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's psychiatric disability, diagnosed as psychosis, was aggravated during military service and thus warrants service connection. Bilateral hearing loss is not considered to be related to military service. The current diagnosis of macular degenerative disease in the left eye is not found to have been incurred or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for the purpose of obtaining VA medical records related to his hearing loss, and then readjudicating the claims.

The veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his disability did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable schedular criteria.