Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The claim for TDIU is pending.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to noise exposure during service, and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes, and therefore the claim must be denied by law.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including obtaining an adequate opinion regarding their etiology.

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

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and sensorineural hearing loss may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not shown to have been incurred or aggravated during active service.,There is no evidence of a nexus between the current diagnoses and any in-service events or diseases.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the right external auditory canal, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss. The claim for squamous cell carcinoma was reopened based on new evidence, but service connection was not granted due to lack of a link between the condition and service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not present during service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year from separation, and is unrelated to an injury or disease in service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inconsistencies in evidence and inadequate examination reports.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his active service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since October 27, 1998. A separate rating of 10 percent is granted for ear infections related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure and his service-connected sensorineural hearing loss, thus service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The low back, right shoulder, and left knee conditions are also under review.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss has been evaluated as noncompensable, with no more than level I hearing in his right ear. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable evaluation.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss. The tinnitus claim was denied in a final May 1996 rating decision, but new and material evidence has been received to reopen this claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is not related to his active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss warrants a 20 percent disability rating under DC 6100, as his pure tone threshold average and speech discrimination score received a numeric designation of Level VI for his right ear and Level V for his left ear. The preponderance of the evidence does not show an exceptional or unusual disability picture.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, lumbar spine strain, and vertigo due to a lack of evidence showing in-service onset or relationship to service.

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