Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further proceedings, including scheduling a VA examination and requesting clarification of the veteran's employment history. The veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities as a whole.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no current disability as defined by VA compensation criteria and insufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not affect his vision and have not resulted in him being placed in a nursing home, nor have they caused him to be bedridden or so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating, as his audiometric test results do not support such an evaluation.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development and clarification of his service-connected disabilities, including whether they render him unemployable.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent since November 10, 2003.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for a compensable initial rating for hypertension. The decision also noted that the veteran's tinnitus was less likely than not related to service due to lack of exposure to extreme noise.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a right eye condition (claimed as homonymous hemianopsia), tension headaches, dizziness, and residuals of a head injury. The appeals were based on in-service accidents but no current disabilities are linked to those incidents.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for sensorineural hearing loss. The preponderance of medical evidence supports the veteran's claim, and his testimony regarding an in-service explosion is consistent with the available records.

The Board denied service connection for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, and Eye Disorder (Anterior Optic Neuritis) in July 1998. The issues of service connection for these conditions remain unresolved.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied service connection for Bell's Palsy, CVA, hypertension, left ear hearing loss, arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the right wrist, and arthritis of the back, all presumed to be due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss disability, as manifested by puretone threshold averages of no more than 37.5 decibels in the right ear and 41.25 decibels in the left ear with speech recognition scores of 96 percent, does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6100.

The veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA disability compensation regulations.

The Board has determined that there is not enough evidence to support a finding of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the medical opinions do not establish a causal link between these conditions and the veteran's military service.

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

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing his claims for service connection due to his withdrawal.

The Board has granted a 10% disability rating for service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss from February 23, 2005 to October 5, 2005. From October 6, 2005 forward, the veteran is not entitled to any compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, residuals of rupture of the left ear drum, and low back disability. The claim for initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was also denied.