Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, specifically working with jet engines. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss as there is no evidence of hearing loss at VA disability compensation levels.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, hypertension as 10 percent disabling, lumbar strain also at 10 percent, and the other conditions are not found to be related to active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left wrist, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus disabilities. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The conditions did not manifest in service or within one year thereafter, and there was no evidence of a causal relationship to service.

The VA determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss did not occur during his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and therefore denied all claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus to his active service, including noise exposure. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and did not assign a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and chronic left knee strain. The evidence did not establish current disability in any of these conditions, and there was no medical opinion linking them to service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The remaining claims of entitlement to service connection for bronchial asthma, low back disability (Gulf War Illness, painful joints), tinnitus, and hearing loss in the right ear are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The VA has determined that the veteran does not have a hearing loss disability for VA benefit purposes and therefore, service connection for a bilateral hearing loss is not warranted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and organic heart disease post pacemaker implantation due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a 10 percent rating, the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6260. There is no legal basis for the assignment of a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be related to noise exposure during military service, which supports a finding in favor of service connection.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, and allergies due to lack of evidence meeting the criteria for these conditions.