Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and active service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and information from the Social Security Administration.

The Board found that the reduction in the evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from 30 to 20 percent was proper based on improved hearing acuity as shown by recent audiometric tests.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of eye flash burns, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of an eye disorder, and the veteran did not have any complaints or treatment related to eye flash burns until many years after separation from service.,There was no evidence of chronic disability resulting from a disease or injury in service for the conditions at issue.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are as likely as not the result of noise exposure in service, and the Board finds that they were incurred during active service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and it was not shown to be causally related to his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he attributes to his inservice exposure to loud noise. The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to new evidence submitted by the veteran.

The VA determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in service or related to his active duty, as there was no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service.

The VA determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during service, nor are they presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to noise. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded to the VA Compensation and Pension Service for consideration of an extraschedular rating due to marked interference with employment.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Chenango Memorial Hospital in August 2005 was denied as the treatment did not meet the criteria for emergency care and no VA facility was feasibly available.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, but his PTSD claim is denied as there is no evidence of a valid diagnosis under DSM-IV criteria.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at a private hospital from November 20, 2003 to November 21, 2003 is granted due to the lack of suitable VA facilities.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by Level V hearing acuity in the right ear and Level VI hearing acuity in the left ear, which meets the schedular criteria for a 20 percent rating. The Board denied her claim for a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining updated medical records.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to inconsistencies in audiometric test results and the need for further VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss existed prior to service and did not worsen during service, thus denying service connection.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The initial compensable rating of 0% prior to May 30, 2008 and the request for a higher rating after that date were both denied.