Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service records and insufficient rationale in the previous examination.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition. The claim for residuals of a right hand injury was previously denied in October 1996, and no new evidence has been submitted to reopen it.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The reduction from a disability rating of 100 percent to a disability rating of 30 percent for status post left upper lobectomy due to lung cancer is considered 'unknown' as the appeal does not specify whether this issue involves service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to noise during active duty.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is REMANDED for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a nexus to service, despite the Veteran's combat service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for bilateral hearing loss effective October 9, 2008.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied by the RO. The Board found that his current level of hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for any increase in his disability rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence of a nexus between current symptoms and in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for her left ear hearing loss and vertigo (claimed as Meniere's disease), finding that the preponderance of the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The Veteran's cardiovascular disorder (thoracic aortic aneurysm) and impaired vision are both service-connected.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records from the Veteran's second period of active duty and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and assigned a noncompensable disability evaluation, effective March 30, 2006.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable (0%) throughout the entire initial rating period. The audiometric testing results have consistently shown Level I or III hearing acuity in both ears, with speech recognition scores of at least 80%.