Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hepatitis C, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), left knee disorder, and low back disorder have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep impairment, short-term memory loss, and cervical ribs. The other claims have been denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus in July 2007. The claim was not reopened, and both conditions were found to be unrelated to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between any in-service disease or injury and his current conditions. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The VA denied a compensable evaluation for the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, finding that his average pure tone threshold did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The VA is remanding the case to obtain missing service records and possibly conduct a medical examination. The appellant's claim for service connection for his hearing loss will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for left ear otitis media and hearing loss, finding that no new and material evidence had been presented.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have hearing loss in either ear, and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation, as his audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claim can be adjudicated, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service.

The veteran's initial claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and the effective date of his award is set at November 20, 2003.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses for several of his claimed conditions, and thus service connection is denied. The remaining claims are also denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and issuing a supplemental SOC. The claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the elbows is also being remanded.

The case is being remanded for further evaluation of the veteran's hearing loss and PTSD claims, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting new examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran engaged in combat with the enemy during his active military service. The evidence supports a link between these conditions and exposure to noise from enemy gunfire during service.

The Board finds that the veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with the benefit of doubt given to the veteran.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss due to new evidence presented since June 2004. However, the claim is still denied as there is no competent medical evidence showing that the current right ear hearing loss is related to military service.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of occupational impairment due to the condition, and the current noncompensable evaluation adequately reflects the clinically established impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation criteria, and thus denied his claim for an increased initial rating.