Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, and denied his claim for service connection of tinnitus.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied by the VA as his current hearing levels do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's appeal was granted, with the right ear hearing loss being found to be related to noise exposure during service and service connection established. The PTSD rating remains unchanged, as does the left ear hearing loss disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence showing these conditions were caused by his time in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service, and continuity of symptomatology was not shown. The claim to reopen for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and an increased disability rating for his service-connected tinnitus.

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

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to service. The claim will be reviewed again with additional examination and medical opinion.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that service connection is granted for left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus, but denied for right ear hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or degenerative joint disease of all joints, and therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted. The evidence does not support a finding that any such disabilities are related to his military service.

The VA denied a higher initial rating for the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current disability level warranted only a 10% rating.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiometric examination.

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

The veteran's claims for an initial higher rating for PTSD, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for tinnitus were all denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in medical opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which may be related to service. The claims will be re-adjudicated after a new examination.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and his active service. The veteran did not have a hearing disability within one year after discharge, and the medical opinions are against a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which are believed to be related to noise exposure during service. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly address the appellant's claims for service connection. This includes providing proper VCAA notice, obtaining relevant medical records, clarifying the meaning of annotations on VA documents, and scheduling examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for an initial higher rating for PTSD. The veteran's spine disability was rated at 20 percent effective February 28, 2007.