Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The appeal is remanded to obtain an opinion from an Otolaryngologist (ENT physician) regarding the relationship between the veteran's hearing loss and chemotherapy treatment.

The veteran was denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, but tinnitus was found to have been incurred during active service.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder, right ear hearing loss disability, and left ear hearing loss disability. The claimant's headache disability was rated at 0 percent.

The veteran's initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not support a compensable rating prior to November 21, 2006, and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent was also denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show a relationship between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, alcoholism, a lung disorder, dental trauma, a right knee disorder, and left ear hearing loss as the evidence did not support a medical nexus between these conditions and the veteran's period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder disability, disabilities of the wrists and fingers, left foot disability, and bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability, in-service incurrence or aggravation of an injury or disease, and medical evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and the in-service noise exposure.

The veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss disability was not shown to be related to his service, and the evidence did not support a finding of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology.

The claim for service connection for a left ear disability is reopened, but the merits of the claim are remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disability but denied increased ratings for the back and hearing loss disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not support higher disability evaluations.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred in service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for service connection for tinnitus was also denied.

The appeal is remanded to obtain additional evidence regarding the veteran's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA with the Air National Guard. An opinion will be sought on whether the current hearing loss may have been caused by noise exposure during these periods.

The claim of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss was denied, and the veteran's initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his low back disability was not warranted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, a low back disability, hearing loss, a right knee disability, residuals of a cyst of the right second finger, and residuals of dental trauma as there is no competent medical evidence showing that the veteran currently has any of these disabilities or that they are related to her period of active service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not related to his military service.

The Board grants service connection for the veteran's right ear hearing loss based on an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence.