Hearing loss decisions — 2007

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

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the etiology of his hearing loss, respiratory disorders, and hepatitis C.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the veteran's current disabilities, and thus denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, and right knee disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and also denied his request to have M.O. recognized as his dependent spouse.

The veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The RO assigned a 70 percent rating effective September 18, 2006.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of current disability, and the statutory presumption does not apply due to a long period between discharge from service and identification of the condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss disability is manifested by Level XI hearing and does not meet the criteria for a higher initial evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus and hearing loss were not incurred or aggravated in active military service.

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

The veteran's appeal concerns the assignment of a noncompensable rating for his service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including providing VCAA notice and scheduling an audiometric examination.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for left knee degenerative joint disease and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation based on the current criteria.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, scheduling a VA orthopedic examination to assess the severity of his low back strain with spondylosis at L5, and scheduling a VA audiological evaluation to determine the extent of his bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent, effective January 25, 2005.,Bilateral hearing loss has been assigned a noncompensable rating since June 15, 2004.,The right clavicle disability remains rated at 20 percent.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, Type II diabetes mellitus with complications including diabetic peripheral neuropathy related to herbicide exposure, and asbestos-related respiratory disease. The veteran's claims were not supported by competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for additional development, including a VA audiological examination to determine the presence of current disabilities and their relationship to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss was not aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss disability is not related to his active military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss does not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable disability rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.