Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss due to a lack of new and material evidence for tinnitus and because there is no direct or presumptive relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for left ear hearing loss.

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

The VA denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation under the rating schedule.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral hand condition secondary to cold injury exposure in service, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as not incurred or aggravated by active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service. The left ankle disability claim is remanded due to insufficient medical examination.

The Board denied both claims for increased ratings, finding that the veteran's service-connected conditions do not warrant a higher disability rating based on current medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of hearing recording and requests another Travel Board hearing at the RO in Oakland, California.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records related to the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The examiner should provide an interpretation of the November 2004 audiogram findings.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence supports a link between his current hearing loss and noise exposure during active military service.

The veteran's initial claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his hearing loss warranted a rating higher than 10 percent before April 29, 2005 and 20 percent from April 29, 2005.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss did not occur in service and is not due to any in-service events, including claimed noise exposure. The back disability was also denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current condition and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss was not incurred during active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to any incident of service. As a result, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for the cause of his death and DIC benefits under section 1318, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute to his death.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss does not warrant an initial compensable evaluation, as it is best manifested by Level V hearing acuity. The preponderance of evidence does not support a higher rating.