Hearing loss decisions — 2007

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disorder, cervical neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD). The veteran is not entitled to a compensable disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for chloracne and eye disorder. The claim for service connection for an eye disorder is reopened, but it remains denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining additional service medical records and examining the veteran's noise exposure during service. The veteran will be provided a supplemental notice letter addressing the disability rating and effective date elements of his claim.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of hearing loss disability or qualifying exposure to noise trauma. The PRK surgery residuals were rated as 10 percent disabling based on moderate limitation of motion. The left ankle strain was also rated at 10 percent. Environmental allergies did not meet criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition, hearing loss in the right ear, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there is no current evidence of a hearing loss disability and noting that it was not shown in service.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability for VA purposes and denied his claim for service connection.

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

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unemployable due to their severity.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate disorder, acquired psychiatric disorders (PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD), gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, skin condition, and hearing loss disability have all been denied. The veteran requested withdrawal of the claim for prostate disorder.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus arose during his active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for service connection, as well as his claim for a prostate disability secondary to Agent Orange exposure. The diabetes mellitus was rated at 20 percent, hearing loss and tinnitus were not granted earlier effective dates.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and potential exposure issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a 20 percent disability rating from August 23, 2001 to February 4, 2007.

The veteran is granted a 30 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from January 12, 2004. The RO previously assigned evaluations of 20 and 30 percent for the same condition.

The veteran's initial grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable since August 1, 2003. The VA audiometric examination showed Level IV hearing acuity in the right ear and Level II hearing acuity in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6100.

The veteran's initial grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable since August 1, 2003. The VA audiometric examination showed Level IV hearing acuity in the right ear and Level II hearing acuity in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6100.

The Board found that the veteran's ear problems (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) are unrelated to his period of service, or to any incident therein, including an in-service head injury. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.