Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the case for further development to obtain additional medical records and to attempt to corroborate the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors. The claims will be readjudicated based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and clarification regarding private audiometric testing. The application to reopen a right ear hearing loss service connection claim is also inextricably intertwined with the current claim.

The Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus claims. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are inextricably intertwined with each other.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case as he died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating greater than 10 percent, as his most recent audiometric evaluations do not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on the severity of his hearing impairment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need to obtain his service personnel records, conduct a VA examination, and consider additional evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for an increased rating for PTSD. The decision found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the hearing loss claim, and that tinnitus did not have onset during or was not caused by service.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability that meets the VA compensation standards, and therefore his claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for right ear hearing loss in October 2006. The evidence submitted since then does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, and thus new and material evidence has not been received to reopen it. For left ear hearing loss, the disability is currently rated as noncompensably disabling.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and specifically denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as secondary to otitis media.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was granted service connection. The left ear hearing loss disability claim is denied.,Service connection for the mid-back scar was granted, with a non-compensable rating prior to September 8, 2008 and a 10 percent rating effective from that date.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since May 28, 2006. The VA examinations show that the Veteran's auditory acuity levels are Level I in the right ear and Level V in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiologic examination.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current level of disability does not warrant any higher evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim.

The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not begin during his active service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. The Board found no evidence of a current disability, and thus denied the claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was initially granted with a noncompensable rating prior to February 16, 2011. From that date, he is now rated at 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to March 1, 2011 and did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent since that date.