Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, left hip disability, seizure disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD), bilateral hearing loss, and vertigo.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete service records and unclear evidence regarding the appellant's claimed conditions.

The Board has granted a 20% rating for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, effective October 1, 2004. The veteran seeks an earlier effective date.

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

The veteran's claims for an initial disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for asbestosis and for an initial compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss are denied. The evidence does not support a finding that the veteran experiences these conditions to warrant higher evaluations.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the veteran's testimony of ongoing tinnitus since service and his military specialty raise a doubt in favor of the claim. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a BVA hearing.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as 20 percent disabling and does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for sensorineural hearing loss, finding that his average pure tone thresholds do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating under VA Rating Schedule.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and his COPD is not related to military service. The case is being remanded for further medical examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 17, 2005 for his TDIU due to lack of factual ascertainability prior to that date and because he did not meet the schedular criteria for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss and fibromyalgia did not manifest during service or within one year post-service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The VA has denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on the audiometric results provided.

The Board denied entitlement to earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, finding that no earlier unadjudicated formal or informal claims were received.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and depression, were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable rating, resulting in a denial of his claim for an initial compensable disability rating.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's chest pain, coronary artery diseases (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cholestoma with right ear hearing loss to his active service. As such, the claims for these conditions are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and intermittent right-sided head pain, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or for many years thereafter. The veteran's current tinnitus was noted to have onset around the 1990s.