Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to determine if his hearing loss is related to his first period of service from August 1971 to May 1979.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability and tuberculosis.

The Veteran's initial increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The Veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss effective December 10, 2008.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service treatment records and needs further examination and development of evidence before deciding on the claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes and his right ankle disability is not related to service. Therefore, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has denied the reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for tinnitus. The decision is mixed as to whether new and material evidence was received for the hearing loss claim.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the appellant's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, specifically noise exposure. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated at a 20 percent rating from September 14, 2007 to July 1, 2009.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service, while the respiratory disability claim is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on October 28, 2007 is granted due to the presence of a service-connected disability and the emergency nature of the treatment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO provided the Veteran with multiple opportunities to submit evidence, but he failed to appear at scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request for reconsideration and will remand the case to the RO for further development, including scheduling a VA audiology examination.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disk disease of the cervical spine, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran's neck disability is considered to be directly related to his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable, and no higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability and recurrent tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a schedular rating greater than the current assigned ratings.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as 10 percent disabling from July 1, 2005 to May 3, 2009. The claim for an increased rating remains denied after this period.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to his military service, including any noise exposure. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not at a level of severity to warrant a compensable schedular evaluation, as he has manifested no worse than Level II hearing acuity in his right ear and Level IV hearing acuity in his left ear. Therefore, the claim for an increased rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied.