Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating, as his average puretone thresholds were within the noncompensable range.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is a result of acoustic trauma sustained during military service. The issue of an increased rating for service-connected bilateral blepharitis with right pterygium remains pending.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective April 5, 2001, based on the veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The VA denied the veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss in his left ear, finding no evidence of a disability that meets the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and denied an increased rating for basal cell carcinoma. The issue of a compensable rating for basal cell carcinoma is being remanded to the RO.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected tinea pedis did not warrant a rating greater than 10 percent, and denied his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities of bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, a chronic respiratory disorder (lung), or a bilateral foot disability. The veteran's claimed hand disability is also denied as it is not shown to be related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss and concluding that tinnitus was unrelated to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, anxiety disorder, and ADD. The evidence did not establish a nexus between current hearing loss or psychiatric conditions and military service.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have hearing loss disability as contemplated by VA regulations and thus, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Board has found the veteran's account of noise exposure in service to be credible and consistent with combat conditions. The medical evidence confirms that he has tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability, which are linked to his military noise exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for his service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and post-status removal of a sebaceous cyst on his face, finding that the evidence did not warrant such ratings.

The Board denied service connection for a jaw disorder and left ear hearing loss, but granted an increased rating for the veteran's pes planus disability. The claims for increased ratings for knee disabilities were also granted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, while significant, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, low back pain, and bilateral knee pain as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year of discharge, and no evidence linking them to the veteran's period of active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left foot disorder as there was no evidence of a current disability.

The veteran's current left ear hearing loss was not related to his military service and could not be established as a result of acoustic trauma during service.