Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, concluding that his current hearing loss is less likely than not related to service due to a lack of audiometric testing during his separation examination and the presence of occupational noise exposure since at least 1964.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has never been manifested by worse than Level I hearing acuity in either ear, resulting in a noncompensable (0%) disability rating.

The Veteran's perforated right ear drum and subsequent hearing loss are not considered to be related to service, including noise exposure. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss existed prior to service and was not aggravated during military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred during active service and is granted service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated at 0 percent, and the residuals of a right ankle sprain are also rated at 0 percent. Both conditions do not meet criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's case is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a hearing and obtaining medical records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has worsened, but it does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is a result of noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of diabetes mellitus and also denied his increased rating claim for defective hearing in the left ear.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for an examination and additional records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability, as the last evaluation was more than four years ago and no recent treatment records have been obtained.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for hearing loss and service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, including GERD, PUD, and hiatal hernia. The Veteran's hearing loss was found to be noncompensably disabling based on the available audiometric test results. No evidence of a gastrointestinal disorder related to service was found.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee conditions, finding that the current 30 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiological examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus. The claim for a lung condition is pending as it was not addressed in this decision.