Hearing loss decisions — 2007

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

The veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to conflicting evidence on his ability to work and the need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence to support a finding that these conditions are related to his time in military service.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The TDIU issue is also denied as there are no service-connected disabilities rated at least 60% combined with a total rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims. The Board also found that tinnitus is not related to active duty.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

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

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma in combat. The VA medical examiner concluded it is not as least as likely as not that the veteran's current high frequency sensorineural hearing loss is related to his military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be productive of a disability picture that precludes him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment consistent with her education and work experience.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a causal link between these conditions and his active duty.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension.,Service connection was denied for migraine headaches, a psychiatric disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease, trigger thumb, hearing loss, loss of eyesight, and stuttering as these conditions were not shown during or after service.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to insufficient examination reports. The VA needs to provide a new audiological evaluation to determine the nature, severity, and etiology of any current hearing loss or tinnitus found.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus and an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction, finding that there was no evidence of penis deformity. The hearing loss claim is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of service periods and obtaining medical records. The veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being evaluated to determine if they were incurred during a period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to service, including the period of active duty.

The Board found no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss meeting VA criteria, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss was denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been assigned, as there is no legal basis for a higher evaluation. For bilateral hearing loss, the most recent VA audiological examination did not meet the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal because he did not timely file a substantive appeal regarding the November 2002 rating decision, which denied his claims for service connection and TDIU.

The veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and an effective date earlier than June 6, 2006 for the award of service connection for tinnitus have been denied. The RO has assigned a noncompensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss since its initial grant in 2003, and granted service connection for tinnitus with an effective date of June 6, 2006.