Hearing loss decisions — 2008

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

The veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been reopened, but further development is needed to determine the merits of these claims.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder and hearing loss. The claim of reopening the bipolar disorder was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to the veteran's hearing loss and his ability to use hearing aids, as well as additional evidence that needs to be obtained.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination and additional medical records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus, hearing loss disability, and a back disorder. The evidence did not establish new and material evidence for reopening any of these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating, as his audiometric test results correspond to a numeric designation no worse than Level IV.

The Board dismissed the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no legal basis to grant such a request.

The reduction in the evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from 30 percent to 20 percent was proper as it resulted in no reduction in overall compensation payments and the examination disclosed improvement.

The veteran's PTSD is found to be related to in-service stressors, and he is granted service connection.,Service connection for right ear hearing loss disability is granted as it is due to noise exposure during active duty.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal, and the Board is dismissing the issues due to this withdrawal.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a low back disability and denied his claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran's hearing loss has been rated as noncompensably disabling (zero percent) since March 7, 2002.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service. The veteran's statements about an ear injury during service will be considered in forming the opinion.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ankle disability and bilateral hearing loss are as likely as not related to his service, including noise exposure in Vietnam. Therefore, these claims for service connection are granted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for hearing loss of the right ear and a perforated tympanic membrane of the right ear, finding that there is no legal basis to award higher schedular ratings.

The VA has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and assigned a 0 percent disability rating, effective October 29, 2004. The veteran's hearing impairment was found to be Level I in both ears at the time of the initial grant of service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking the condition to active military service. The veteran's new evidence does not provide such a link.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found that the veteran did not have a current disability for hearing loss, residuals of a left hamstring strain, contact dermatitis, periodontal disease, or a strain of the left knee muscle. Hemorrhoids and vision loss (myopia and astigmatism) are not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for VA compensation.,The veteran's claim for high cholesterol was withdrawn prior to decision.

The veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the July 2005 VA examination, which did not address his service-connected disabilities and their impact on employment.