Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The denial of the right knee claim is final as it was previously denied in December 1997 without new and material evidence being submitted. The left knee and hearing loss/tinnitus claims are pending.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is found to have resulted from acoustic trauma during service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for vertigo was also addressed, with the Board finding that it may be related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service and he is granted service connection for this condition.,For the right ankle disability, a rating in excess of 20 percent is not warranted as there is no evidence of ankylosis or limitation of motion that would justify such a higher rating.

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

The Board determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warranted a rating of 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under VA regulations. The evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hypertension had its onset during active service, and thus grants service connection.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss and granted it. The right ear hearing loss claim is also granted.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The VA and private audiometric evaluations have consistently shown no worse than Level I hearing acuity in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss. However, the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss is not found to be related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent effective February 3, 2010. He also received separate ratings of 10 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy since February 26, 2010. His hallux valgus disabilities are rated at the maximum allowed under Diagnostic Code 5280. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is assigned a noncompensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including noise exposure while in Vietnam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), as well as his claim for a higher initial rating for hypertension. The Board found that he did not have a ratable disability for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and perforated left tympanic membrane are not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or to a compensable degree within one year thereafter and has not been shown to be otherwise related to his military service. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, prostate cancer residuals, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and other conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA regulations, and therefore service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's request for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been remanded due to the failure to schedule a videoconference hearing as requested. The case will be returned to the Board after scheduling the hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, specifically noise exposure during active duty. As a result, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted.