Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable initial rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus, prevent him from securing or maintaining employment for which his education and experience would otherwise qualify.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection of various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, left ankle disorder, and residuals of Achilles tendon repair. The Veteran did not receive a compensable rating for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral vascular disease of the right and left lower extremities, finding no current diagnosis of this condition in the medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected vertigo warrants a 30 percent disability rating, considering his symptoms of recurrent episodes of dizziness and occasional staggering.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and an increased rating for left ear hearing loss. The claim for tinnitus was reopened, but the evidence does not establish a direct link between in-service noise exposure and current tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his service-connected tinnitus and hearing loss of the left ear was denied as there is no legal basis to assign a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus, including separate 10 percent ratings for each ear. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected hearing loss in the left ear remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The claims include seeking higher disability ratings for cold injury residuals, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for dizziness and unsteadiness, a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and an effective date prior to May 20, 2003 for the grant of a 10 percent evaluation for tinnitus are all denied. The Board found that there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to service or to a service-connected disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.,The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities is not service-connected, as it did not manifest within one year of separation from service and there is no evidence linking it to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II or any other incident of service.

The Veteran's claims for congenital fusion of the right hand, left ear hearing loss, sinusitis with nasal septum disability, and hypertension are denied as there is no evidence of a superimposed injury or disease in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not etiologically related to his service-connected follicular carcinoma of the thyroid with resulting hypothyroidism, and thus denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. However, there is insufficient evidence to support a finding of tinnitus being related to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, which was previously denied in 1993. The evidence now supports a finding that the Veteran's chronic bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss disability is related to his inservice combat noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The hearing loss claim was not addressed as it did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, while the other issues had insufficient evidence to determine their validity.

The Board denied initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus in June 1969, finding that the Veteran's conditions did not warrant such evaluations based on the applicable rating criteria at that time.

The Veteran's hearing loss is manifested by Level I hearing acuity in the right ear and Level VIII hearing acuity in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the assignment of a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's hearing acuity is manifested by no worse than level II hearing in the right ear, and level IV hearing in the left ear. The criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.