Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected hypertension did not cause or contribute to his death, and there is no evidence linking other causes of death (such as obesity, sleep apnea, and coronary artery disease) to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of a dental condition. The veteran's right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin rash, and hyperplasia of the prostate. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

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

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's claimed allergic rhinitis. However, it denied service connection for his claimed bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence meeting VA compensation criteria.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation, as his current hearing acuity levels do not meet the criteria for any higher rating.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a deviated septum is remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss or false teeth that are causally related to service. The claim for false teeth is denied by operation of law as it cannot be established under VA regulations.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently evaluated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that an increased evaluation is not warranted based on the evidence.

The VA denied a compensable disability rating for the veteran's service-connected hearing loss in his left ear, citing that the condition did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss resulted from in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the left knee claim and that there was no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss from April 14, 2008. The veteran's initial claim of service connection for hypertension was denied in July 2003 and is not before the Board.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, as his hearing acuity did not reach levels warranting such a rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to conflicting evidence regarding whether the veteran's hearing loss is related to military service, specifically annual active duty for training or one weekend a month of inactive duty training from 1976 to 1991.

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which the VA examiner found less likely related to in-service noise exposure. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional consideration of his claims, including a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his hearing loss and tinnitus. The case will be returned to the Board after further review.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination.