Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn. The claim for tinnitus was not granted as there is no medical evidence indicating a link between the condition and his military service. The Veteran's degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine are currently rated at 20 percent, but an increased rating is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to attend a previously scheduled hearing. He has requested a Travel Board hearing at his local RO.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion from the VA audiologist who examined him in July 2008 and providing notice to the Veteran regarding his opportunity to secure private medical records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The VA denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability and attributing any present condition to post-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code.

The Board has found that the appellant's hearing loss disability is attributable to acoustic trauma in service and granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for right ear hearing loss and a chronic left knee disability are being remanded due to the receipt of additional medical evidence. The VA will conduct further examinations and determine if these conditions are service-connected.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence meeting VA disability criteria. Service connection for tinnitus and basal cell carcinoma is pending as the Veteran's claims are not yet decided.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 31, 1997 for a grant of total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as the initial rating decision has become final and no request for revision based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was made.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability related to service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's hypertension was characterized by diastolic pressure predominantly less than 100 and systolic pressure predominantly less than 160, requiring continuous medication for control.

The Veteran's audiometric evaluation in April 2009 showed Level XI hearing for the right ear and Level I hearing for the left ear, which corresponds to a 10 percent disability rating under VA regulations. The Board found that this level of impairment does not warrant an increased rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and recurrent right ankle sprains are all found to be service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his previously-denied claim for service connection for residuals of an eye injury, as well as his claims for stress disorder, bilateral leg disability, hearing loss in the left ear, and cervical spine disability. The evidence submitted since the last final denial was found to be cumulative and did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating any of these claims.

The Veteran's hearing loss is rated as noncompensable (0 percent) due to the current evidence not showing a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since April 5, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss, and his claim for service connection of actinic keratoses and skin cancer was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for the residuals of an injury to the right index finger is granted. However, his claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in his left ear as defined by VA standards, and there is no evidence of such a disability during service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied.