Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss during service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board finds that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss is causally related to his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his service, including exposure to noise during flight line duty. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss and of entitlement to a compensable evaluation for his service-connected right ear hearing loss. The claim for an extraschedular evaluation for right ear hearing loss was also denied.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a skull fracture, an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to June 10, 1999, and an effective date earlier than January 30, 1997, for the award of service connection for PTSD.

The VA has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, currently rated at 10 percent, does not warrant an increased rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to his military service. As a result, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), finding that the veteran's IBS is causally related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied the other claims due to lack of evidence supporting a link between current disabilities and service.

The Board has ordered additional VA examinations and requested the RO to obtain SSA records for a comprehensive evaluation of the appellant's disabilities, with consideration of their impact on his employability.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to incomplete development of his service records, including duty assignments. The VA examiner is requested to provide an opinion on the etiology of any diagnosed tinnitus.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left ear hearing loss was denied by the Board as there is no evidence of more than level I auditory impairment in either ear, which does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as it is currently manifested by Level V hearing impairment in the right ear and Level I hearing impairment in the left ear.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, fallen arches, athlete's foot, a stomach disorder, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not compensably disabling as of March 3, 2003.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 50 percent disabling, and the Board denied an increased rating. The veteran also filed a claim for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but the Board found that he did not meet the criteria for this benefit.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before a decision can be made on the veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if he currently has these conditions and whether they are related to his military service.

The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not show frequent hospitalization or marked interference with employment beyond what was compensated by the rating schedule.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 10 percent since November 18, 2002, and a higher rating is denied.

The veteran's hearing loss disability was rated at 20 percent from July 13, 1998 to June 9, 1999. The rating was increased to 30 percent effective June 10, 1999 and further to 50 percent effective September 26, 2001.