Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service. The decision concludes that it is less likely than not that these conditions are due to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus to the RO for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with depression, finding that the Veteran's diagnosed PTSD is related to his confirmed in-service stressors of having been subjected to enemy fire during his active duty in Vietnam. The issue of service connection for Meniere's disease with hearing loss and tinnitus remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his right knee conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to September 26, 2008.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and the Veteran did not seek treatment for these conditions until approximately 20 years after separation from active duty. Therefore, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus were denied as not established by service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma. The Board also found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not proximately due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the passage of time since his last VA audiological evaluation, and to determine if staged ratings are appropriate.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a new VA audiological examination. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's appeal for his left ear hearing loss and low back pain was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for his service-connected left ear hearing loss, as his auditory acuity levels were consistently at level II or I, which do not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and lung cancer, but denied service connection for tinea versicolor due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service or presumptive exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a left ankle disability as secondary to diabetes mellitus, and a bilateral hand joint disorder. The claim for high cholesterol was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to decision.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and consideration of whether referral for an extra-schedular evaluation is warranted.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted, with the effective date set at November 7, 2005. The effective date for an increased rating to 40% was September 24, 2007.

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

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral eye disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder (including bipolar and schizophrenia), and left ankle strain. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for another VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or aggravation, and that any current hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to service.