Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and a lung disorder, as there was no evidence of current disability or a link to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, as well as service connection for a skin disability, were denied. The 10 percent rating for tinnitus is the maximum schedular rating available, and there was no evidence of a compensable evaluation for the hearing loss or that the skin condition was related to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, while severe, do not require regular aid and attendance or render him housebound.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection claims related to bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, essential hypertension with coronary stenosis, neuropathy, left ankle arthritis, right ankle arthritis, left wrist arthritis, left foot arthritis, right foot arthritis, arthritis of the back, left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, headaches, and loss of part of the stomach and large intestines.

The veteran is not entitled to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for pes planus, right foot.

The Board denied a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss prior to March 23, 2006 and bilateral hearing loss from that date.

The veteran is unable to obtain and/or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, and that the evidence of record is sufficient to establish entitlement to service connection for that disability.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied due to the lack of a current diagnosis, and his initial evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied as no more than level I and II hearing acuity were shown.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on the evidence of in-service noise exposure and current diagnoses.

The veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was granted based on the evidence showing that his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board remands the matter to obtain a supplemental medical opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and to consider additional evidence submitted by the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor was there any evidence of a link between the veteran's current conditions and his service-connected cerebral concussion residuals.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of these conditions manifesting during or shortly after his active service, nor any credible evidence linking them to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of hearing loss during service or a link between the current condition and his active military duty.

The Board remands the veteran's appeal for a higher initial evaluation of his service-connected left ear hearing loss to afford him an audiological evaluation.

The appeal is remanded to obtain additional evidence and schedule the veteran for VA examinations.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone, did not preclude him from engaging and retaining substantially gainful employment prior to January 3, 2003.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.