Hearing loss decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including his period of active duty from December 1970 to December 1976. The claims will be reconsidered after this development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred during active service, nor can they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss disability and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is appropriately rated as noncompensable, and denied his claim for a higher initial rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to the veteran's request for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The issues remain unresolved and need further review.

The Board has determined that the appellant's left ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and his hypertension did not manifest within one year of separation from service. Therefore, both conditions are denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an audiometry examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss is related to his service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for reopening his heart disease claim and service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the heart disease claim and dismissing the appeals on hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss is not related to service, specifically noting it was more likely due to chronic ear infections rather than noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of hearing loss was denied as the earliest possible effective date is January 24, 2002.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and denied his claims for service connection of right and left knee disorders. The RO previously denied these claims based on lack of evidence linking current conditions to military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. However, the VA examiner provided a negative nexus opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus being related to acoustic trauma in service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to clarify the veteran's service period and assess the relationship between his hearing loss, tinnitus, and military service. The case will be remanded for further review.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under VA regulations. The issues regarding hypertension and right knee disability were also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for panic attacks and depression, as well as bilateral hearing loss, were not substantiated by the evidence. The claim for panic attacks and depression was denied because there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was also denied due to a lack of in-service disease or injury that could be linked to current disability.

The Board found no current respiratory disorder or left ear hearing loss disability and denied service connection for these conditions.

The VA denied a claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the veteran's service-connected hearing loss warrants a noncompensable rating.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to allow for VA examinations and further development of the evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is remanded to consider a claim for increased rating for tinnitus.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss. The case must be remanded to allow for further development and consideration of the claim.