Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and residuals of a left foot injury, as well as his claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Board found no evidence that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no basis for a higher rating under the applicable VA regulations.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Sycamore Shoals Hospital on February 5, 2007 are now covered by VA.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied, and his claim for service connection for a dental injury due to service trauma was also denied. The Veteran did not have a confirmed in-service dental injury that could be linked to his current condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not related to his service, as they first manifested many years after separation from active duty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has not resulted in a disability level that warrants an initial compensable rating under VA's rating criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issue of bilateral hearing loss to obtain a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss from January 24, 2008 is being remanded due to discrepancies in the audiology evaluation results.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hernia or residuals of hernia are denied as there is no current disability meeting the VA criteria for a hearing impairment or hernia.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach disability due to new and material evidence. However, it denied his claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an increased rating for status post tonsillectomy.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left ear hearing disability for VA purposes and denied his claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss. The right ear hearing loss was deemed to be within normal limits upon discharge from active duty, leading to denial of service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder is not entitled to an evaluation in excess of 30 percent, and his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his medical records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be incurred within one year of separation from his first period of active service, and thus is presumed to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's hepatitis C is presumed to have been incurred during service due to the lack of any scientific evidence to document transmission through airgun injectors.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed noise exposure and obtaining VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no medical evidence linking the current disabilities to his military service.