Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence provided by a private physician.,The claim for service connection for tinnitus remains closed as no material evidence was received.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his time in active duty.

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

The veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently manifested by an average puretone threshold of 19 decibels with speech discrimination of 100 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral high frequency hearing loss warrants a rating of 50 percent, which is the maximum available under current regulations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of a current disability within one year after service or any chronicity of symptoms since service. The VA audiological examinations could not obtain reliable testing results from the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ear hearing loss as there is no current disability within the meaning of governing law, and the pre-existing left ear hearing loss did not worsen during service.

The Board has determined that a VA examination and medical opinion are necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral knee disorder. The case is therefore being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability within applicable VA standards and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating before May 7, 2008, and a higher than 10 percent rating from May 7, 2008, for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that additional development of the evidence is required before a decision can be made on the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including an audiometry examination and medical nexus opinion. The veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis C, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.,Service connection could not be established as the veteran did not have a current diagnosis of either condition at the time of his separation from active duty. The Board also found that neither condition was caused by service.

The Board finds that the veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are at least as likely as not caused by his military service, including noise exposure. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not establish a nexus between current hearing loss and tinnitus and in-service noise exposure.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable schedular criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left hand disability, bilateral knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to active duty service.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable disability evaluation schedule.