Hearing loss decisions — 2008

The veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss before a decision was made.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, and thus denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete verification of stressors and exposure, as well as unclear medical evidence regarding hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found that the veteran's right ear hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim. The left ear hearing loss was currently diagnosed but did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating, as his audiometric test results showed mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and evaluation to determine if his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hypertension, hearing loss, or tinnitus that are attributable to his active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral peripheral neuropathy, finding that his current auditory thresholds did not meet the criteria for VA disability benefits. The RO must be remanded to provide an examination assessing both speech recognition and auditory threshold levels.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing disability for VA purposes and there is no basis to link his tinnitus to service. Therefore, both claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has determined that an effective date prior to July 29, 2002 for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is not warranted as there was no claim filed within one year of separation from service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His diabetes mellitus, type II, was not rated higher than 20 percent. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to service or service-connected conditions. Peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities was also not found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review, including consideration of new evidence related to the veteran's hearing loss claim.

The Board has determined that a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the evidence does not show hearing acuity worse than Level II in the right ear or worse than Level V in the left ear.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was accepted as received on August 13, 2004. The RO granted a 60% evaluation effective March 31, 2003 and later increased the rating to 80% effective October 26, 2005. The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss was denied as it is not factually ascertainable that his hearing loss increased in severity during the year prior to August 13, 2004.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his audiometric test results did not show sustained improvement and supported only a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and his lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The appeal was denied as there is no evidence of limitation of motion or ankylosis warranting higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's thoracic spine pain/compression condition is not related to service, and denied this claim.,The Board has also found that the veteran's vertigo, dizziness, and loss of balance are secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and granted this claim.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus as they are not related to the veteran's active military service.,Service connection was not granted for a gait disorder as it is not shown to be proximately due to the veteran's service-connected varicose veins of the right lower extremity.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be attributable to service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.