Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board denied an increased rating for the service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable schedular criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis and denied an increased disability rating for residuals of prostate cancer. The veteran's arthritis is found to have had its onset in service, while the prostate cancer does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has denied the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for post-operative atrial septal defect, as well as the claims for right ear hearing loss and pulmonary/respiratory disease due to asbestos exposure. The evidence submitted since the last final denial is not considered new or material.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, including exposure to acoustic trauma. As a result, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was previously denied due to lack of a showing of a current disability by VA standards. The veteran's noise exposure in service is considered relevant.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is causally linked to his exposure to excessive noise during reserve duty, warranting service connection.

The VA has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but assigned a noncompensable disability evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hepatitis C or bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left ear hearing impairment as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including instability of the right and left knees, post-operative osteochondral fracture with a torn medial meniscus and traumatic arthritis of the right knee, instability of the left knee, osteoarthritis of the left knee, left ear hearing loss, otitis media of the left ear, and scar, post-operative pilonidal cyst, are found to be sufficiently severe to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. As such, he is entitled to a TDIU.

The veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability was granted with an effective date of December 14, 2001. The Board found that the earlier denials were not CUE and denied the request for an earlier effective date.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, hypertension, and a right knee disorder are being remanded due to the need to obtain his service medical records.

Service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus has been granted.,PTSD service connection was denied due to lack of a diagnosed condition.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoids, as well as his service connection claims for migraine headaches, nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), and left knee disability. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating as his most recent VA audiological evaluation did not show any improvement over previous evaluations.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, left forearm scar, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and left shoulder strain are not met. The claim for an increased rating for the left foot disability is also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's hepatitis C, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that any current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of this claim, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claims.