Hearing loss decisions — 2010

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of any current hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as whether these conditions are related to active service. The Veteran's claims for service connection will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is manifested by no worse than level II hearing in the right ear and level I hearing in the left ear, resulting in a non-compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board finds that the residuals of bilateral eardrum perforations were incurred during service and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a video-conference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional private medical records related to the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, while his right foot injury is not. The Veteran does not have residuals of a right foot injury that are causally or etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the etiology of his right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 5, 2009, and a staged rating in excess of 30 percent thereafter was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss at any time since the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to noise during combat operations in the Pacific Theater. The decision grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma, and he currently has left ear hearing loss. However, there is no current evidence of right ear hearing loss meeting VA criteria for a disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable, and the appeal for a higher evaluation is denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for various conditions, including rheumatic fever, myocardial infarction, hearing loss of the left ear, arthritis, cerebrovascular accident, erectile dysfunction, and depression. The appeals were not decided on a presumption basis or due to exposure to specific hazards.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right ear hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a bilateral hip disability, and a low back disability due to lack of current evidence of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, hemorrhoids, a chorioretinal scar, and right ear hearing loss were denied as there is no credible evidence of in-service stressors or current disabilities related to service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service. The Veteran will be scheduled for an examination by a VA physician to assess his claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The decision did not address the issue of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss prior to January 13, 2009, are denied. Beginning January 13, 2009, the Veteran is rated at 10 percent for his bilateral hearing loss.