Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current low back disability and bilateral hearing loss are related to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The underlying claim on the merits is being remanded for further development and adjudication.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current disability level does not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation under VA's rating schedule.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiology examination.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to active service, and his claims for higher ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and earlier effective dates are granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss based on the evidence of in-service acoustic trauma and current hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable initial evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for asthma as new and material evidence was not provided, and also denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection claims related to bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and flat feet with secondary back disability.

The Board remands the issues of an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and a higher rating for right hand shrapnel wound residuals to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) for further development.

The Veteran was granted a 40 percent rating for his low back disability and a separate initial 10 percent rating for associated radiculopathy, effective from June 3, 2004. No compensable rating was assigned for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating and extraschedular evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was remanded for a new VA examination to assess the functional effects of the disability on daily activities and employment.

The Veteran was granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and assigned a noncompensable initial rating. Tinnitus was also granted with an initial 10 percent rating, but no higher rating is available.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss is not attributable to his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial evaluation of vertigo with bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, claimed as Meniere's Syndrome, was denied. However, a separate compensable rating for tinnitus since June 10, 1999, was granted.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, an increased evaluation for residuals of right wrist fracture, and an increased evaluation for skin rash.

The claim for service connection for a stomach disorder was denied as new and material evidence has not been presented.,The application to reopen the claim of service connection for a stomach disorder is denied.,PTSD was granted based on a diagnosis related to an in-service assault, which meets the criteria for service connection.,The application to reopen the claim of service connection for a back disorder is granted; however, the claim for service connection for a back disorder is not met.,Service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence that it is related to service or any incident therein.,The application to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were denied as there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or continuity of symptomatology. The claims for PTSD, lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome and sciatic neuropathy, and cervical joint and disc disease are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded to the RO for further development, including a medical examination.