Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a broken nose, sinusitis, and bilateral eye disorders. The Veteran's conditions were not found to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss was aggravated by his active duty for training service in the Army Reserves, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus as a result of service and denied both claims.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for Hurthle cell carcinoma, entitlement to service connection for tinnitus, and whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability by VA standards and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied. The VA examination results showed no worse than Level I hearing acuity in both ears, resulting in a zero percent disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the request for withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not develop as a result of his military service and is therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee arthritis have been denied. However, the Veteran was granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left knee.

The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no legal basis to award higher evaluations under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss and its functional effects. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered after the increased rating decision on the hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus did not have their onset in service or are otherwise related to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The VA denied a compensable evaluation for the appellant's left ear hearing loss disability and did not grant service connection for his low back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA compensation purposes and therefore denied service connection.

The Board has determined that a program of independent living services, including bathroom remodeling, is not necessary for the appellant's independence in daily living.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA, and thus service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss has been manifested by no more than auditory acuity level I, and his left ear hearing loss has also been manifested by no more than auditory acuity level I. Therefore, the claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected right ear hearing loss is currently rated noncompensably (zero percent) disabling. The Board found that the evidence did not show that his condition warranted a compensable rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 40 percent before February 12, 2008 and at 20 percent from that date onward.