Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, cervical spine arthritis with nerve impingement, and lumbar radiculopathy and spinal stenosis. The new evidence submitted since the last denial supports these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a dental examination and adjudication of new claims for Meniere's disease and tinnitus.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, including noise exposure. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss disability is related to service. The reopened claim will be reconsidered on its merits.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a left ankle sprain, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and bilateral hearing loss as these conditions were not incurred or aggravated during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was incurred during his active duty service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected Māniăre's disease, previously diagnosed as bilateral hearing loss, does not warrant a disability rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the reduction from a 90 percent to a 50 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was proper and upheld.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral flat feet (pes planus) as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

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

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a VA audiometric examination and correction of VCAA notice.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as it did not meet the criteria for higher evaluation based on the provided audiometric results and examination findings.

The veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is currently manifested by no more than level VII hearing impairment, and the criteria for a compensable disability rating are not met.

The veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for his service-connected knee and spine disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current hearing loss disability, and the veteran's knee and spine conditions are rated based on limitation of motion.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding it likely related to the veteran's military service. The hearing loss claim was denied as the audiometric testing did not meet VA criteria for disability.

The Board denied service connection for neurodermatitis of the abdomen and groin, bilateral hearing loss, and syncope. The claim for reopening the neurodermatitis claim was denied as new evidence did not establish a relationship between current symptoms and service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for left ear hearing loss as new and material evidence was not presented.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right ankle disability, left epididymitis, or right ear hearing loss as a result of service. The claim for anal cryptitis is denied because it was noted during service but not found in the separation examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for glaucoma, open angle, bilateral, and service connection for peripheral neuropathy are all denied. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable under VA regulations. Service connection for glaucoma, open angle, bilateral was not established due to lack of a current diagnosis or causal relationship to the service-connected diabetes mellitus. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy was also not established because there is no competent evidence demonstrating its secondary nature to the service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 0 percent for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for Hepatitis C with chronic liver disease, and major depressive disorder. The decision found no evidence linking the current diagnoses to service.