Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by his active military service from March 1965 to March 1967, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss or tinnitus, and there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service. Therefore, service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a clarification of the medical opinion regarding the relationship between the veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current bilateral hearing loss.

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

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disability, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss. The initial compensable ratings for gastric ulcer disease have also been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking current hearing impairment to service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine are related to his military service, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed disabilities of frostbite and hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by her active service.,There is no medical evidence showing current disability for either condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss is not related to noise exposure in service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and did not reopen the claim of right ear hearing loss due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service and denied the veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing. The specific issues of entitlement to a compensable evaluation for basal cell carcinoma of the right nose and entitlement to service connection for a hearing loss disability of the right ear are pending.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected neck disorder, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's appeal of the initial disability evaluation for degenerative joint disease of the left knee is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC), in Washington, DC.,The claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no legal basis for a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to acoustic trauma in service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of cold weather injuries of the upper and lower extremities remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral high frequency hearing loss, left otitis media, and residuals of dislocation of the left knee with osteoarthritis.,The veteran was not granted any higher disability ratings in these cases.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current hearing loss or tinnitus that is causally related to his military service. As a result, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development of evidence, including any new evidence received since December 2006. The veteran and his representative will be given an opportunity to respond.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and therefore denied these claims. The claim for hypertension is secondary to a service-connected disability but was also denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as the veteran did not meet the statutory duration requirements for a total disability rating at the time of death.