Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA has determined that a remand is necessary to provide the veteran with a VA examination to determine if his current disabilities are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a hearing loss disability for VA purposes and thus cannot establish service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For tinnitus, there is no evidence of a relationship to in-service noise exposure or any other incident of his military service.

The veteran's hearing loss in the left ear is related to service, but there is no evidence of chronic otitis media or otitis externa. The claims for left ear otitis media/otitis externa and tinnitus are not supported by the new evidence submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of verified in-service stressors. The veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during his military service.

Hearing loss and facial paresthesia have been granted service connection, but hearing loss is not considered compensably disabling. Headaches were denied from August 23, 2004 to May 24, 2005.,The veteran's right side of face paresthesia has been rated at 10% since August 23, 2004.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss can be decided. The case is being remanded to obtain VA audiological examination records and, if necessary, a new examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and potentially obtaining missing service records.

The Board finds that the veteran's right ear hearing loss is of sufficient severity to qualify as a disability under VA regulations and was incurred in service. The benefit of doubt has been resolved in favor of the veteran.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for left knee degenerative joint disease and right ear hearing loss to the RO for further development. The erectile dysfunction claim is denied as there is no competent evidence establishing a direct relationship between the condition and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, including exposure to noise during service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that developed in service and is otherwise causally related to service. The evidence preponderates against these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis was denied. The claims for service connection for anxiety, hearing loss, and tinnitus are also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice regarding service connection for the cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, and thus denied both claims.

The VA denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and his dental disability of teeth numbers 18 and 31 is service-connected. However, he does not have any other diagnosed disabilities related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance, were denied. His initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to July 11, 2007 was granted.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss did not worsen during his active service and denied his claim for service connection.