Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, residuals of a disability manifested by passing out during physical training, osteoarthritis of the right knee, and osteoarthritis of the right ankle have been denied. Service connection was granted for hypertension.

The Board has denied service connection for chronic conjunctivitis, hearing loss of the left ear, and systemic lupus erythematosus. The case is being remanded to determine if a VA examination is needed to assess the current status of the veteran's tinea pedis.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and depression, but granted service connection for right ear hearing loss. The veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to acoustic trauma in service.

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

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence showing the veteran has any of the claimed conditions, and thus service connection cannot be granted for hepatitis B, diabetes mellitus, swine flu virus, gout, or hearing loss.

The VA audiological examinations revealed that the veteran's hearing loss disability has improved, with better speech recognition scores and lower puretone thresholds. As a result, his current evaluation for bilateral hearing loss remains at noncompensable.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current disability level does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

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 veteran's bilateral defective hearing was rated at 20 percent effective May 3, 2006. The claim for an increased rating is granted.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to determine if the appellant currently has hearing loss and whether it is related to his military service. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated in active military service, as there is no evidence of any such conditions during service. The acquired psychiatric disorder was first manifested many years after separation from service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities did not begin during service or are otherwise etiologically related to service. The initial rating for residuals of a fracture of the right mandible is denied as there is no evidence showing disability level meets or approximates the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that resulted in current disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral severe high frequency sensory hearing loss is considered, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it is related to his active military service.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected PTSD and found that his claim for permanent total disability is also met. The right ear hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by his active military service from September 1959 to September 1963, and thus granted service connection for both conditions.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have current right ear hearing loss for VA purposes, and thus denied his claim of service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and vestibulopathy, status post resection of left acoustic neuroma were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation or an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss prior to April 30, 2002, nor did it meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for vestibulopathy from April 30, 2002 onwards.,The veteran's service connection claim was decided on the merits and not based on a presumption or reopening due to new evidence.