Hearing loss decisions — 2006

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they related to his active service. The evidence did not support a presumption of service connection due to noise exposure during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The VA examiner found it less likely than not that the current hearing loss and tinnitus are secondary to noise exposure in service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for defective vision, MI residuals, left ear hearing loss, arthritis, CVA residuals, ED, and depression. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities related to these conditions that are linked to military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss of the left ear was caused by noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is attributable to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service medical records and requires additional development, including an examination for tinnitus and hearing loss.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no medical evidence of a current disability.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, with an average puretone threshold of no less than 50 decibels in both ears and speech recognition scores of at least 84 percent, does not warrant a compensable rating.

The veteran's hearing loss is evaluated as noncompensable, with a pure tone threshold average of 31 in the right ear and 0 in the left ear. The Board finds that this does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and a disability associated with loss of balance as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left otitis media and mastoiditis. The appeals on increased ratings for tinnitus, residuals of left otitis media and mastoiditis, and tympanosclerosis have also been denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he has a post-graduate degree and previous work experience as a dentist.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Board found no etiological relationship between the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities and disease or injury during active service, thus denying both claims.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The veteran also needs to be provided with VCAA notice regarding his claim.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence. However, the veteran's current level of bilateral hearing loss does not meet VA compensation criteria. The right knee disability is remanded for further examination and rating consideration.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to provide proper hearing notification. The case will be returned for further action.