Hearing loss Board decisions

The RO granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 10 percent disability rating effective April 22, 2002. The veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder was denied as there is no medical evidence establishing the presence of such a condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Meniere's disease with hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's varicose veins of the right and left legs are rated at 30% each, his seizure disorder is rated as noncompensably disabling (10%), and his weak left knee disorder is rated at 10%. His bilateral hearing loss remains noncompensably disabling.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied. The highest schedular disability rating provided for tinnitus is 10 percent, which the veteran is already receiving.

The Board found that there is no medical evidence linking the cause of the veteran's death to any service-connected disability or his period of active duty service. The appellant's personal opinion was not considered competent evidence for this purpose.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back condition and an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not support these claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of a head injury are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development.

The Board found no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or any in-service noise exposure that could be linked to the veteran's claimed condition, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted an effective date of July 24, 1998 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and has determined that a rating greater than 10 percent is warranted.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally related to his exposure to noise during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to procedural deficiencies and the need for additional development.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and service, nor any nexus with tinnitus. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection for multiple lipomas, claimed as secondary to herbicide exposure, is granted. The effective date remains pending further review.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For chronic sinusitis, there is no evidence of current diagnosis or treatment.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The VA determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a nexus opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss and its relation to military service. The RO must also consider the potential applicability of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1154(b) with regard to combat veterans.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected hypertension has been denied. The current evaluation of 10% is maintained.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to insufficient evidence of his current hearing loss severity. The RO must ensure compliance with all notification and development actions required by the VCAA, review the claims file again after a VA audiologic examination, and then make a decision based on the updated information.