Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is a result of acoustic trauma during service and granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that a hearing must be scheduled for the Veteran at his current address in California, as he is no longer residing in Tennessee.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for an examination and a determination of whether his service-connected disabilities alone render him unemployable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition, PTSD, tinnitus, hearing loss of the left ear, and COPD. The decision also addressed his claim for TDIU prior to January 7, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected thoracolumbar strain, healed fractures of the ribs, and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The claim for service connection for a right knee injury has also been denied.

The Veteran's left hand osteoarthritis is rated at a 20 percent disability, effective from the date of award. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened due to new evidence received since the last final denial.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted with effective dates of May 23, 2006. The Board finds that the earlier effective date claim is denied as there was no informal or formal claim filed prior to May 23, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and found it noncompensable. The claim for chloracne due to herbicide exposure was also granted, but as a result of presumptive service connection based on Vietnam-era exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating of 70 percent for PTSD, effective May 5, 2006. The earlier effective date claim for the PTSD rating is denied.

The Board denied service connection for left hand, bilateral knee, and bilateral hearing disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a head injury and residuals of frostbite of the hands in July 2006. The Veteran's claims are now remanded to reopen these issues.,Right ear hearing loss was denied as not related to service, but the claim is reopened due to new evidence.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to review final denials of service connection for hearing loss and determine if there is evidence sufficient to warrant entitlement to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus due to service, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and thus denied his claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was first diagnosed many years after service, and the evidence does not support a connection to noise exposure in service. The Board finds no competent evidence of such a relationship.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss corresponds to a 10 percent disability rating since July 25, 2005. The Board found that the evidence does not support an increase in his initial rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis/degenerative discopathy of the lumbar spine and hearing loss, as no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, but not for the right ear. The Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is considered to be caused by acoustic trauma sustained in service.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus was denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 20 percent for his right ear hearing loss, which is the maximum evaluation authorized under Diagnostic Code 6100.