Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's hearing loss and neuropsychiatric disorder are service-connected, but tinnitus is not. The Board granted the claims for hearing loss and a neuropsychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's combined evaluation for service-connected disabilities is 80 percent from June 20, 2000 to June 10, 2004, and 90 percent from June 11, 2004. The criteria for assignment of an increased combined evaluation are not met.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, including noise exposure. The normal audiometric findings at separation and the long period without complaints of hearing issues support this conclusion.

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 appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the severity of his PTSD, Leishmaniasis, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD or bilateral hearing loss, as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions and the preponderance of the evidence is against a nexus to service. The Veteran's claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hearing loss in the left ear and tinnitus have been denied. The Veteran is already receiving the maximum schedular evaluation available for these disabilities.

The Veteran's heart disability, including hypertensive heart disease, was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not presumed to have been incurred therein. Service connection for a left leg disability secondary to the heart disability is denied as there is no competent evidence linking such disability to service.,There is no medical evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability or any link between any incident of service, including claimed acoustic trauma, and the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active duty. The claim for an initial compensable evaluation for residuals of a scalp laceration was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims for service connection related to left ear hearing loss, bilateral knee disability, and chronic ear infections.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left great toe disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

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

The Veteran's audiometric test results correspond to numeric designations of no more than level II in the right ear and level I in the left ear, which translates to a 0 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claim for an increased initial evaluation is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a pre-existing condition worsening during service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of aggravation, while the claim for tinnitus was denied based on the absence of a link between current symptoms and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically exposure to acoustic trauma during combat duty in Vietnam. The claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically linked to his service or any incident therein, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran died in October 2005 from intracranial hemorrhage due to, or as a consequence of, hypertension. The RO will need to provide proper notice and obtain a medical opinion regarding the cause of death and its relation to service-connected conditions.

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