Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board finds that the veteran's hypertension and tinnitus are service-connected, but his left ear hearing loss does not meet VA compensation criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is service-connected, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the claimant.

The VA granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 30 percent evaluation effective July 13, 2001. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also granted but with no compensable rating.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the veteran's claims for hearing loss and tinnitus, as no such evidence was provided since the May 1998 denial. The decision is mixed because both issues were denied on the merits.

The VA has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus do not warrant a compensable evaluation, with the exception of his existing 10% rating for tinnitus. The Board found no basis to grant additional ratings for either condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, residuals of cold injury to bilateral upper and lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision states that the earliest possible effective date is August 21, 2001.

The veteran's initial rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted at 40 percent, effective December 2, 1997. The Board has now determined that a higher initial rating is not warranted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any in-service noise exposure caused or aggravated his current condition.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if a timely Substantive Appeal was filed with respect to the February 1995 rating decision denying service connection for various conditions, and to issue a Statement of the Case regarding reopening claims for back disorder and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have begun during his active military service and is granted service connection. Tinnitus was not shown in service or related to service, thus denial of service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss. The denial was based on the fact that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA standards.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not attributable to his period of active military service.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss disability, as defined by VA regulations, was not related to military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, right ear tinnitus, and right eye vision loss. The evidence did not show a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and pain are residuals of a left ear injury sustained during service. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the in-service injury.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current hearing loss and otitis media were incurred during service, granting his claim for service connection.

The VA has increased the disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss to 60 percent, effective September 21, 2001. The veteran's current hearing acuity is at its worst level of Level VIII in the right ear and Level X in the left ear.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's hearing loss is not related to his military service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an initial compensable evaluation for his residual scar of the right hand were not addressed due to procedural issues. The claim for a rating greater than 20 percent for healed fractures of the second and third digits of the right hand was denied, while he received a noncompensable rating for his service-connected residuals.