Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date of October 23, 2002, for his grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The decision states that the proper effective date is the date of the reopened claim, which was October 23, 2002.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and determined that there is sufficient evidence to establish a current disability, but not enough to link it directly to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and determining whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims of service connection for frozen feet and migraine headaches.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing due to his failure to appear at the scheduled hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen a claim for service connection for hearing loss are still pending.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, currently rated at 10 percent, does not warrant a higher rating based on the evidence of record.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoids do not warrant a compensable rating, as his current hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for a non-compensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His initial claim for bilateral hearing loss was granted with a noncompensable evaluation, but his subsequent claim for an increased rating was also denied. Service connection was not established for the residuals of ear infection, strep throat, or nasopharyngitis.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient probative value of the VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's left ear hearing loss. The case will be reviewed again with further examination and consideration.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed inner ear conditions, including hearing loss and tinnitus, were not incurred in service or are not related to a service-connected disability. The claim for vertigo/balance problems was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and left ear hearing loss, but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support a higher disability rating during any stage of the rating period.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected burn scars and service connection for hearing loss as secondary to those scars. The decision also denied his request to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral knee problems.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal of fourteen service connection issues due to his request for withdrawal. The only remaining issue is tinnitus, which was denied as there is no evidence that it was incurred during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable evaluation at any time since the effective date of service connection, and thus grants service connection but denies an initial compensable rating.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of a VA examination, as well as incomplete records. The veteran must be afforded an opportunity to submit additional evidence and undergo a VA audiological examination.