Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The claim for PTSD was remanded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied due to a lack of credible evidence supporting the claimed in-service stressor and no corroborated diagnosis of PTSD.

The veteran's nasopharyngeal cancer, left ear hearing loss and vertigo were not related to his active service.

The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and lipomas of the arms, legs, and abdominal wall were remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and allergies as there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss was denied because he does not currently have a right ear hearing loss disability that meets VA's standards of hearing loss disability.

The Board denied an effective date earlier than May 18, 1999 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, finding no clear and unmistakable error in its previous decision.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not caused by or a result of his military service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disorder claimed as a residual of exposure to Agent Orange. However, it has denied service connection for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, and PTSD.

The Board remands the case to obtain a clarifying medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any current hearing loss, tinnitus, and left shoulder disorder that may be present.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability, chronic neck and hip disabilities, bilateral tendonitis, bilateral heel disability, left ear hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic eye disability. However, it granted service connection for a skin disability due to in-service exposure to sunlight and chemical irritants.

The Board denied the veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a hearing loss disability during or within one year after discharge from service, and no credible evidence linking either condition to active service.

The veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be etiologically related to his active duty service.

The veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they were not attributable to his active service.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and the evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable, and the Board found that a compensable rating was not warranted based on the audiometric test results.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was determined to be service-connected, while tinnitus and a back disorder were not. The decision granted service connection for the hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, an initial compensable evaluation for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, and an initial compensable evaluation for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) were denied. The claims for increased evaluations for post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic migraine headaches, and degenerative arthritis of the right ankle are remanded.

The Board remands the case to schedule a Travel Board hearing for the veteran.