Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus related to service. The evidence is against a finding that these conditions are due to noise exposure in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, including exposure to artillery noise. As a result, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was aggravated during service, and thus is granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's current diagnoses of PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are supported by medical evidence linking them to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, are not shown to preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to May 29, 2008.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is productive of no more than Level I hearing acuity in the right ear and Level II hearing acuity in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable disability rating. The Board finds that there is no probative audiological evidence to support an initial compensable evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for vertebra damage of cervical spine were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his hearing loss or establish a direct link between his current condition and service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a link between his in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to lack of evidence establishing a relationship between his current hearing loss and active service. The new evidence submitted does not provide such a link.

The Board found that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, including noise exposure. As a result, the claims for these conditions were denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a presumption of soundness at entry into service. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been evaluated as noncompensable since January 31, 2001. The evidence does not support a higher rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, scheduling a VA examination of his service connected disabilities, and determining whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his period of active military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his combat noise exposure. The preponderance of the evidence does not support the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim for hearing loss and there was no medical evidence suggesting a link between current tinnitus and service.

The Veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted at 30 percent effective May 17, 2005. Prior to this date, the Veteran had Level II hearing in each ear.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The Veteran's current diagnoses of an eye disorder, right inguinal hernia, and skin disorder are not supported by the evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a right knee disorder. The evidence submitted since the November 2000 rating decision does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and a low back disorder are not supported by the evidence of record, resulting in a denial of both claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further medical examinations at a correctional facility.