Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as 10 percent disabling from February 26, 2004 to March 23, 2005 and remains at that level. From March 24, 2005, the rating is still 10 percent.

Your appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and found that his hearing loss claim was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, and there is no established in-service stressor or link between current symptoms and military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable disability rating, as his audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or connection to military service for these conditions.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability did not warrant a compensable rating, as his audiometric test results did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right ear hearing loss and left knee degenerative joint disease are not supported by the evidence of record, resulting in a denial of both claims.

The Board denied the appellant's claims of service connection for a lower back disability, tinnitus, and new and material evidence for bilateral hearing loss. The VA found no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that there is no current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and thus denied the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that there is no legal entitlement to an effective date earlier than January 24, 2000 for the grant of service connection of hearing loss and chloracne. The veteran's claims were denied initially in 1996 due to lack of evidence of chronic disability subject to service connection. He attempted to reopen his claims multiple times but did not provide new and material evidence within one year of each denial. In February 2000, the RO received inquiries from Senators Smith and Wyden regarding the veteran's claims, which were construed as a claim to reopen. The effective date was set at January 24, 2000, based on these inquiries.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating and earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied. The Board found that the current evaluation of 20% is correct, and there was no evidence of an intent to file a claim prior to July 15, 2003.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus in service. The VA examiners concluded that the current conditions are more likely due to post-service noise exposure and natural aging.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for hearing loss and granted it. The claim for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no current evidence of the disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence submitted by the veteran.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a rating of 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available. Therefore, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for tinnitus is REMANDED.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.