Hearing loss decisions — 2011

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss did not result from his in-service noise exposure and is not related to service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The VA examiner found no current left ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and opined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to service.,There was no evidence of a current left ear hearing loss disability or tinnitus in service, and the VA examiner concluded that these conditions are not related to service.

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

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence as to whether the Veteran's tinnitus is causally or etiologically related to his military service. Bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a bilateral eye disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to exposure to acoustic trauma in service, and the Board finds that service connection for this condition is granted. The right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA compensation standards.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection as there is insufficient medical evidence to link current disabilities to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a more thorough examination by a VA specialist to determine if his current conditions are related to in-service exposure to artillery noise.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but denied the other issues. Service connection was established based on a diagnosis of PTSD due to combat stressors in Korea.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new compensation examination as his left ear hearing loss may have increased in severity since the last VA examination.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his military service, while an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is not. The Veteran did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD due to lack of combat experience.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a pulmonary disability (including obstructive sleep apnea) and bilateral hearing loss. The decision also noted that the Veteran did not have diabetes mellitus or hypertension attributable to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active military service, while bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated in service and may not be presumed due to noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The evidence does not support the assignment of a compensable rating for any of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that his current hearing loss disability was incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss is not as likely as not due to acoustic trauma during military service and concluded that it was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service. The preexisting conditions were considered to be sound at entry into service, and there was no evidence of aggravation during service.

The Veteran's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) prior to September 2007, but as of that date his adjusted countable income did not exceed MAPR. Therefore, nonservice-connected VA pension benefits are granted as of September 2007.