Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular evaluation for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and residuals of shell fragment wounds to various body parts due to a lack of current diagnoses and no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and back disability are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected and warrants a grant of service connection. The VA has assigned a noncompensable evaluation for the residuals of his shell fragment wound (SFW) of the left ankle, which meets the criteria for a moderately severe injury to Muscle Group XI. For PTSD, the VA has awarded an initial 30 percent rating, but no higher.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including scheduling of a personal hearing.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at an approximate balance and resolving all doubt in favor of the veteran.

The Board finds that the veteran's low back disorder is related to his active service.,While the veteran has bilateral hearing loss, it was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board found no evidence of current hearing loss in the left ear and opined that service connection for right ear hearing loss is not warranted due to lack of aggravation. Service connection was denied for otitis media and Meniere's disease as there is no current diagnosis or link to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding no medical evidence to support a link between his in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

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

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

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the veteran did not exhibit these conditions in service or otherwise relate to his active military duty.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as an earlier effective date for service connection, were denied. The Board found no legal basis for a schedular evaluation in excess of the current rating for bilateral tinnitus and determined that there is no legal basis to grant an earlier effective date.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection was denied for a bilateral ear disability, including otitis externa.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right ear hearing loss disability or tinnitus, and his current left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not etiologically related to active duty. Therefore, service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was received. However, the Board found no evidence of a current disability during or after service, and concluded that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not likely related to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated in service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and ichthyosis, finding no current disability for hearing loss and concluding that ichthyosis is a congenital condition not aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's original claims for service connection were not received until March 27, 2003. Therefore, an effective date earlier than March 27, 2000 is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's diagnosed bilateral hearing loss is not associated with his active military duty and denied his claim for service connection.