Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened.,The veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was not reopened, as the new evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for tinnitus, as there was no competent clinical opinion linking the condition to military service.

The Board determined that the veteran's cause of death, cardiac failure due to or resulting from coronary artery disease, was not caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and a need for further attempts to obtain them. The veteran's right ear hearing loss is being reviewed for possible service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss did not occur or was not aggravated during service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are linked to service, with continuity of symptoms since discharge. Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss, currently rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been objectively shown to be productive of no more than right ear Level III hearing impairment and left ear Level II hearing impairment for Department of Veterans Affairs purposes, warranting a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and verifying the veteran's TDY periods. The claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD will be reviewed after these actions.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss had improved to a level no higher than a 10% rating, and thus reduced his total disability rating from a total to 10 percent effective February 1, 2006.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including sending corrective VCAA notice and obtaining VA medical records and Social Security Administration disability records. The veteran is also scheduled for a VA orthopedic examination to assess his left knee disability and an audiologic examination to assess his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board finds that a new VA examination is required to determine the current existence and etiology of any hearing loss and/or tinnitus found, as the January 2006 VA examiner's opinion is based on the fact that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus started in 1995.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including gastrointestinal disorder, hearing loss, right inguinal hernia, back disability, and right knee surgery residuals. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran's testimony regarding in-service exposure to acoustic trauma, combined with his wife's testimony about hearing loss since service, raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the service connection claim.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not attributable to acoustic trauma during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable initial disability rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that there is no current disability on either side as defined by VA regulations. The Board also found that any potential hearing loss or tinnitus did not result from noise exposure in service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions, with the exception of tinnitus which was assigned a 10% evaluation.