Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as depression/dysthymic disorder, and dismissed the appeal of the claim for entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to obtain a VA examination with an opinion on etiology.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the current disability was likely due to in-service noise exposure.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a higher 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as the criteria were not met for an effective date earlier than April 19, 2005.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, right and left knee disabilities, and right and left ankle disabilities are being remanded to the RO for further development.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss before the Board promulgated a decision.

The Board remands the case for additional development, including a fresh VA audiological examination to determine whether the veteran currently has a hearing loss disability as defined by 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an increased rating for hypertension were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss was remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current level of hearing impairment.

The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as both conditions are related to in-service combat-related acoustic trauma.

The appeal is remanded for additional development to include obtaining private medical records and a VA examination.

The appeal is being remanded for a new VA audiological examination to determine the current severity of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, and the ratings for his bilateral hearing loss were determined based on audiometric test results from July 11, 2007.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no competent medical evidence to establish a nexus between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence showing that these conditions were incurred in or caused by active military service.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and the claim was dismissed.

The veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and depression were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and the veteran's depression is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The veteran's claim for an increased initial rating for left ear hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not support a compensable rating.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinusitis, and loss of taste and smell as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were related to the veteran's active military service.