Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The VA has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent, as his hearing impairment is currently rated at Level VI in the right ear and Level VII in the left ear. The Board found no evidence to support an increased evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including consideration of whether referral to VA's Director of Compensation and Pension Service is warranted due to marked interference with employment or frequent hospitalization related to bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical evidence in rating purposes.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated in service and is not presumed to have been so incurred. The Board finds the Veteran's current hearing disability is not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with evidence showing noise exposure during military service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus originated during his active service, and thus granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is not related to his military service and denied the claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation prior to January 21, 2010, and an evaluation in excess of 20 percent disabling beginning January 21, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to an inability to provide a definite opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is due to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and the Veteran's current complaints are not related to his military service. The appeals for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss in the left ear was not found to warrant a compensable rating prior to August 31, 2007.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely attributable to his period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in March 1953, leading to a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to manifest no worse than Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and reflux esophagitis were denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the claimed conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule VA examinations to determine the etiology of his low back disorder, recurrent right ear infections, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and remanded the issue of a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities and obtain any outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for various issues, including service connection for bilateral hearing loss and cervical spine disability, increased ratings for lumbar spine disability, and initial ratings for tinnitus and cervicogenic headaches. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 10 percent prior to April 4, 2009, and 20 percent since then.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no unadjudicated claims existed prior to his February 27, 2006 claim. The effective date assigned was February 27, 2006.