Hearing loss decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and depression are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis or competent medical nexus linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board determined that there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and the Veteran's service treatment records do not show any history of these conditions. Therefore, the claims for service connection for both conditions were denied as they are not supported by competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, was not service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability that caused or contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen his previously denied claim for bilateral hearing loss and concluding that he does not have a current disability of tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability, and thus service connection cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active military service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss had onset in service or is otherwise etiologically related to the Veteran's active military service, and therefore, the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current hearing loss disability is due to noise exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA audiological examination at an alternative facility if possible.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in its analysis, particularly regarding the clinical significance of changes in hearing ability during service and whether such shifts are related to current hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not become manifest during service and is not otherwise related to service. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated in active service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently evaluated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that his disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss have been denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of a chronic right ear hearing disorder during or within one year after service, and the medical opinion evidence did not support a nexus to service. For the left ear, while the Veteran had some hearing loss in 2006, which is recent onset, there was no evidence of any chronic hearing loss during service or within one year after service. The Board also found that the Veteran's current hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board found no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss disability and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his condition warranted a higher rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss at separation and no competent medical opinion linking current conditions to service.