Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claim for residuals of a left toe injury and bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there are no current residuals of the claimed injuries.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination results and incomplete service records. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be reconsidered with a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, cold injury residuals in upper and lower extremities, and tinnitus are not service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for left ear hearing loss and a ruptured left eardrum, as well as his claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a right ankle fracture. The evidence did not meet the criteria for these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine if his left ear hearing loss is related to service, specifically noise exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and hyperopia with occasional pain have been rated as noncompensable. However, the Board finds that a compensable rating of 10 percent is warranted for his hyperopia and corneal injury residuals due to the presence of medically unexplained complaints of pain.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on the audiometric test results provided.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and anxiety disorder were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than what was already assigned.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his level of hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted effective from September 22, 2005. The decision also reopened his previously denied claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's right otitis media is manifested by bilateral hearing loss with pure tone threshold averages and speech recognition scores that correspond to no worse than level 'I' hearing on the right and level 'II' hearing on the left. The criteria for an initial compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6100 have not been met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his active service, and therefore denied these claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling examinations to address his hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and pes cavus.

The Board has determined that there is no new and material evidence to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disorder. The original denial decisions are final.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred or aggravated by service, given conflicting evidence in his service records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the disabilities and his military service.