Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his current hearing levels do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, hearing loss, or chronic skin infections attributable to military service. The veteran's diabetes mellitus is adequately controlled with medication and diet. His peripheral neuropathy in both lower extremities is mild to moderate.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to service.,His refractive error, hyperopia, and presbyopia were determined to be congenital or developmental defects and thus not service-connected.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a service-connected hearing loss disability and denied his claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10% for tinnitus. The maximum rating available under VA regulations is already assigned.

The veteran's claims for PTSD, hepatitis B, and bilateral hearing loss were denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions in the medical records.

The veteran's initial claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in May 1984 due to lack of evidence. The RO continued this denial in May 1984, and the veteran did not file a notice of disagreement or appeal. As such, the May 1984 decision became final. In August 2004, the veteran requested reopening his claim for service connection based on new evidence (a medical record from Dr. Gallagher). The RO denied this request as the claim was previously adjudicated and is now considered final.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected retinopathy and bilateral hearing loss, as both conditions do not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 10 percent or compensable under VA regulations.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria for these conditions. The Board also noted conflicting opinions regarding a possible nexus to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA audiological examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral hearing loss, reduction of his prostate cancer disability rating from 100% to 40%, and reopening of a service connection claim for low back disorder with sciatica. The veteran did not meet the criteria for an increased rating or reopening of the claim.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the evidence does not support a rating higher than 50 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss did not worsen during service and is not related to military noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for hearing loss has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of his case.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran seeks service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, which he claims are due to noise exposure during his military service. The case is being remanded for a VA audio examination to determine the etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus found.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be sufficient to preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background, warranting a TDIU.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not related to service, including noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.