Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the issues related to special monthly compensation, increased rating for diabetes mellitus, and reopening claims for PTSD, hearing loss, skin condition, and residuals of injury to hand, thigh, and leg.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of verification of service periods and a need for further examination regarding the etiology of the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran is seeking service connection for hearing loss, which he claims is related to his military service. The case has been remanded due to the unavailability of service records and a need for a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and migraine headaches. Bilateral tinnitus is found to be related to active service, while the veteran's hearing loss did not undergo aggravation during service, and there is no clear evidence of a link between his current migraines and service.

The Board has ordered a remand for further examination to determine the current severity of the veteran's hearing loss, and to ensure that all notice requirements under the VCAA have been satisfied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a scar from a shell fragment wound received during service. The evidence did not establish current disabilities or show that these conditions were incurred in service.

The Board found that the evidence did not connect the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus to his time in service, thus denying both claims.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a more current VA audiology examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for left eye glaucoma, finding no evidence of a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service.

The Board finds that the veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is attributable to noise exposure during his military service, particularly as an aerial engineer gunner. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss of the left ear was not incurred in service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back condition, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred during active service or related to inservice noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including a tumor in the spine, degenerative disc disease, bilateral hearing loss, and a nervous condition (adjustment disorder with anxiety), were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and therefore, denied both claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of heat stroke.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss in June 2003, but the RO/AMC has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure proper evaluation of his claim due to inconsistencies in audiometric test results.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Hepatitis C, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for Hepatitis C. For PTSD, the Board determined there was no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the VA examination indicated these conditions were not related to service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not have onset during service and was unrelated to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus attributable to his period of service and therefore denied both claims.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation for service-connected atypical stable angina was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support assignment of any compensable rating.