Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence showing current disability and no link between the condition and his military service. The Board found that reopening the claim is warranted, but denied service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a low back disorder, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss and concluding that there is no medical correlation between the Veteran's low back disability and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for service connection or a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied as the audiometric testing did not show any worse than Level V hearing in either ear, warranting only a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted an increased evaluation to 50 percent effective July 11, 2007. The Board found that the symptoms from this date onward more closely approximated a 70 percent rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The VA denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to his period of active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is etiologically linked to his period of active service. The Veteran did not develop a compensable level of hearing loss within one year of his discharge from service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial (compensable) rating for bilateral hearing loss from October 27, 2003 to June 16, 2006 was denied as his hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation during this period.

The Veteran's hearing acuity prior to January 29, 2009 was not shown to be worse than level II in either ear. From January 29, 2009, the Veteran's acuity is now shown to have been worse than level V in the right ear or worse than level IV in the left ear. A compensable rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not warranted prior to January 29, 2009 and a rating in excess of 10 percent from that date is also denied.

The Board found no evidence of current hearing loss or tinnitus, and the VA examiner opined that any current right foot disability is not related to service. The Veteran's claims for these conditions were therefore denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for left ear hearing loss, migraine headaches, a right ankle disability, and a left ankle disability. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the lack of verification for his claimed in-service stressor and because he has asserted that his hearing loss disability has worsened since his last VA examination. The case will be reconsidered after these issues are addressed.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities are not presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records and medical opinions regarding his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a verified in-service stressor for PTSD, and there was no indication of exposure to herbicide or asbestos during service.

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

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. His residuals of closed head injury have also been rated as noncompensable.