Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus due to exposure to herbicide agents and a 10% evaluation for traumatic amputation of the left fifth finger effective December 31, 2002. The earlier effective date claim is denied.

The veteran has been granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found that the current hearing loss is as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is attributable to noise exposure during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and chronic otitis media are being remanded due to further development requirements. The initial tinnitus evaluation of 10 percent is denied as the criteria do not meet for an evaluation in excess of this rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, and dismissed his claim for service connection for tinnitus. The decision also noted that the veteran had not provided additional evidence to support his individual unemployability (TDIU) claim.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss in his right ear had improved, warranting a reduction from a 30 percent rating to a 10 percent rating effective December 1, 2003.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support such a rating based on VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, effective from October 24, 2002. The veteran's tinnitus is already rated at its maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of trenchfeet, low back injury, and bilateral hearing loss. The veteran did not have a diagnosed condition related to these issues during or after his military service.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current hearing loss disability and service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) and an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by an in-service explosion. However, the claim for service connection for eye disability (including cataracts and a detached retina) was denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,The veteran's current vision problems are believed to have developed many years after his military service.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the November 1988 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the correct facts were known at that time and the statutory and regulatory provisions were correctly applied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination of his bilateral high frequency hearing loss.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and determined that new evidence submitted since the previous denial supports this claim. However, it was not established that his hearing loss was incurred or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's prostate disorder, glaucoma and cataracts (blindness), and hearing loss are all found to be related to service. The RO granted the veteran a full-dollar rating for his PTSD and awarded DEA benefits to his children.

The Board has determined that further development of the evidence is required before deciding the claims at issue, including obtaining VA medical records and conducting additional examinations to assess the veteran's duodenal ulcer, bilateral hearing loss, and nervous disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for right ear hearing loss and denied her petition to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for sinusitis. The RO assigned a 10% disability evaluation for right ear hearing loss, but did not address the underlying issue of service connection for sinusitis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, but his left ankle disability is not. The decision denies both claims.

The veteran's increased rating for bilateral hearing loss from 0 percent to 10 percent is granted, as his current hearing acuity does not warrant a higher evaluation.