Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 50 percent, and thus denied his claim for an increased evaluation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further development of evidence, including VCAA compliance and additional audiometric evaluation. The RO will also consider all additional evidence received since the most recent Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, bilateral eye disability, and bilateral leg disability was denied as the VA examination did not find any hearing loss disability in either ear.

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

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service, but his tinnitus claim fails due to lack of current disability.

The Board found no evidence of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus during service and denied the veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and thyroid disorder due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The decision on hearing loss remains pending, while the thyroid disorder claim is remanded.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence to show that the veteran currently has bilateral hearing loss that is related to disease or injury in active service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred during active duty.

The veteran's claims for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were denied in a previous decision. New evidence submitted since then has raised the possibility of service connection for tinnitus, but not for right ear hearing loss.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus as secondary to noise exposure during service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and reopening of service connection were denied. The VA found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, no entitlement to an increased rating for tinnitus, or a rating in excess of 20 percent for low back strain.

The Board found that the veteran did not incur any in-service injury or disease of the left ear drum, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating based on their combined evaluation of 60%. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities, when considered in association with his educational attainment and occupational background, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. Therefore, he is denied a TDIU.

The Board denied the veteran's attempts to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence.

The veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to February 25, 2000 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the veteran.

The veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluation for peripheral vestibular weakness prior to December 1, 2006 and increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to Meniere's disease were denied. The veteran was granted service connection for Meniere's disease but the RO proposed reducing the evaluation for peripheral vestibular weakness from 30 percent to 10 percent.

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