Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records from September 1967 to December 1968. The veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities remain pending.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a chronic acquired hearing loss in either ear, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss or residuals of rheumatic fever due to lack of medical evidence showing current disabilities related to his military service.

The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, finding that the earliest possible date was August 27, 2001.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is manifested by no worse than level III hearing in the right ear and level IV hearing in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The preponderance of evidence does not support an increased rating.

The Board has ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office to address whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for hearing loss. The case is being remanded due to an inextricably intertwined issue regarding allegations of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a 1957 rating decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that he did not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU prior to August 13, 1996.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the relationship between the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as whether these conditions are related to his service-connected left ear otitis media. The case will be returned for further action.

The Board denied an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the veteran's Level II hearing in each ear does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claim for a combined rating in excess of 90 percent due to service-connected disabilities. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, while his bilateral hearing loss disability is noncompensable.

The veteran's service records show he had hearing loss at the time of enlistment. During service, his hearing improved in some areas but remained defective. The RO has ordered a VA examination to determine if current hearing loss is related to service and whether it was aggravated by service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus. The claim for hearing loss was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence, while the claim for diabetes mellitus did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date.

The veteran's increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU are granted, with the hearing loss rating at 10 percent effective from November 29, 1996.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including heart condition, rubella, bilateral hearing loss, and other injuries. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder and hearing loss, finding no new evidence to reopen the tinnitus claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for Special Monthly Pension (SMP) based on needing regular aid and attendance of another person or being housebound due to his multiple disabilities.,The veteran had hypertension, heart problems, hearing loss, depression, diabetes, and arthritis. However, he did not have a single disability rated at 100% that would meet the requirement for SMP based on need for A&A.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have impaired hearing in his right ear, as defined by VA standards. Therefore, service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and a rating in excess of 40 percent for his low back disability were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection due to lack of manifestation of hearing loss or low back disability during service, and no new evidence was presented to reopen the claim. The veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 40 percent under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The VA denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service exposure, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.