Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board found no evidence of a connection between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and his military service, including exposure to noise. The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess his claimed tinnitus and obtaining Army National Guard treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his period of active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

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

The Veteran's claims for higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss and earlier effective dates for service connection are denied as a matter of law due to the finality of previous decisions. The claim for tinnitus has been granted with an effective date of December 14, 2006.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, as well as service connection for dizziness and vertigo, are also pending.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he attributes to noise exposure during active service. The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the etiology of his current conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a 50 percent disability rating, effective from September 26, 2003.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for residuals of a mandible fracture and a 10 percent disability rating under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 was denied as there is no evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities have interfered with his employability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied as there was insufficient evidence of a link between his current disabilities and his period of active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a back injury, residuals of a left foot injury, and residuals of a left leg injury. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and examination to address the existence and etiology of his claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, testicular disability, and skin disability.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 is service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his layover in Vietnam. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim remains pending and requires further development.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to active service, thus granting service connection for these conditions. The claim for sinusitis is remanded as it requires further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected allergic rhinitis, cervical spine condition, and left ear hearing loss have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The case must be remanded to provide VCAA notice, obtain a new VA audiological examination, and determine if the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss was aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic low back disorder, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus as there was no evidence of current disabilities or a nexus to service.