Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss was found to be noncompensable based on the audiometric test results.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability was granted an increased rating to 10 percent effective October 9, 2007.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and higher initial ratings, finding no evidence of right ear drum or left tympanic membrane disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or erectile dysfunction that were incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for residuals of a fractured nose and hearing loss, but denied service connection for both conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as they were not attributable to the veteran's active duty.

The veteran's right ear hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensably disabling, and the Board found that a compensable rating was not warranted.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted service connection, while tinnitus was denied.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding a medical nexus between the veteran's in-service acoustic trauma and his current symptoms.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a low back disability, and numbness of the left leg (secondary to the low back disability) are being remanded for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, and the residuals of a perforated eardrum as there is no evidence that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, GERD, and hiatal hernia, and a rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of prostate cancer are being remanded for further development.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him individually unemployable, and the claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied.

The Board finds that a preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss and left ear sensorineural hearing loss, as well as an evaluation greater than 30 percent for PTSD.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for hepatitis C, claimed as secondary to herbicide exposure, and atrial fibrillation, claimed as secondary to stress.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and a stomach condition were denied, while his claim for tinnitus was granted. The decision did not assign a rating or effective date.

The Board denied service connection for hyperthyroidism and a higher rating for the right elbow injury, but remanded other claims for further development.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing and obtaining new VA examinations.

The veteran's tinnitus was not persistent enough to warrant a compensable evaluation prior to June 10, 1999.