Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is for an initial, noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The RO granted service connection and assigned a non-compensable rating effective January 10, 2005. The Veteran asserts that his hearing loss affects his employment.

The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and denied the claim for an earlier effective date. The Veteran's appeal regarding these issues is being remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently manifested by no more than Level III hearing in the right ear and Level I hearing in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation. The Board finds that an initial compensable evaluation for this disability has not been met.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is granted, with the Board finding it as likely as not that his current condition resulted from in-service noise exposure. Tinnitus was also granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and any current conditions are not otherwise etiologically related to such service.

The Veteran's initial claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent prior to March 9, 2007 and 40 percent from that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, a chronic right shoulder disorder, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (claimed as a back condition), and PTSD or depression, are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA audiological examination and review of his treatment records. The Veteran has claimed that his hearing loss has worsened since the last compensation and pension (C&P) audio examination, which was conducted two years ago.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable VA rating schedule. The claim for tinnitus was also denied as it was not incurred in or aggravated during service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for further examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his right knee condition. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss will also be addressed.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss and granted it. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is found to be related to his period of military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service, including exposure to biological experiments.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been clinically shown to be manifested by no worse than Level I hearing in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a non-compensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral ear infections and hearing loss are related to his service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a chronic condition within one year post-service. The current hearing loss is considered conductive and does not appear to be linked to service.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to June 23, 2004 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the current effective date is correct as it is based on the most recent claim received.,The September 1991 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss was not reversed or revised due to clear and unmistakable error, as there was no evidence showing that the decision was incorrect in terms of applying the law at the time.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as new and material evidence was not presented to reopen the claims, and the underlying claims of service connection were also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for depression, a visual defect, and hypertension have been withdrawn. The claims for migraine headaches, seizures, and low sperm count due to radiation exposure are dismissed as unsupported by the evidence.