Hearing loss Board decisions

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.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate notice and missing VA treatment records. The RO must provide proper notice letters, obtain relevant VA medical records, clarify the status of his missing service treatment records, and schedule him for a VA audiology examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, skin cancer (due to herbicide exposure), and bilateral hearing loss. The decision found that there was no current diagnosis of skin cancer.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted with a 70 percent evaluation, but his claims for bilateral hearing loss and peptic stomach ulcer were denied.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and asthma are etiologically related to his active duty service in Kuwait. The claims for these conditions have been granted.