Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his service or any event therein, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development, including VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss disability, dry eye syndrome, right knee strain, left knee strain, and low to mid back strain have all been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show hearing acuity worse than Level I in the left ear, warranting a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for a compensable rating of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The Board has determined that there may be an informal claim from November 1999, but the RO did not address this issue.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to noise exposure during active military service. Service connection was also granted for tinnitus, which is also linked to noise exposure in service.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 30 percent disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that the reduction from 30 percent to 0 percent was improper.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of Buerger's disease of the bilateral lower extremities. The TDIU claim will also be remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions, and the Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death. His claims for various disabilities and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 are not before the Board.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and skin disability were not found to be related to service or herbicide exposure. The Board denied the claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation during service and that the pre-existing conditions did not worsen. The Board also found that the current hearing loss in the right ear is not related to service exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to his military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and granted service connection for vasomotor rhinitis with a noncompensable evaluation, effective November 12, 2002. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for his vasomotor rhinitis was also denied.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development due to failure to provide proper VCAA notice.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation for dental trauma, hearing loss, and eye conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development. The claim of service connection for residuals of dental trauma is granted, but the other claims remain pending.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is manifested by Level I hearing acuity, which does not warrant a compensable evaluation.