Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in his left ear for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also found that there is no evidence of tinnitus during or within one year after service, and thus denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a disability characterized by numbness and tingling in the left upper extremity, and PTSD. The decision also declined his application to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in his left ear, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation by military noise exposure and concluding that the current hearing loss did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection claim for hearing loss as there is no new and material evidence presented.

The Board has granted service connection for a left hand disability and a left hand scar, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to service, and the claim for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to a misunderstanding regarding his service connection status for hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, while his claim for an increased rating for posttraumatic stress disorder was granted with a 50 percent rating effective March 29, 2007. The Veteran is seeking further increase in the rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting these claims.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss and granted it, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss was aggravated by his active duty in Iraq. The left knee disability claim is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and thus denied his claim for a TDIU.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability or tinnitus disorder related to his period of active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability did not have onset during active service or within one year of separation for active service and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, nor may it be presumed to have been so incurred. The Board found no competent evidence linking the current condition to his period of active duty.

The Veteran's claims for increased hearing loss and service connection for dental issues are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current disability for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus cannot establish service connection. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service noise exposure leading to these conditions.

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is denied as he does not have a diagnosis of PTSD that complies with DSM-IV. The left ear hearing loss issue remains on appeal.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is determined to be related to his military service, and the claim for service connection is granted.