Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of these conditions being incurred in or aggravated by military service. The claim for PTSD is pending and remanded to the RO.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a final decision.

The Board has granted the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the underlying issue of whether new and material evidence was received remains under review. The RO will arrange for a VA examination to determine if there is a medical relationship between the veteran's current hearing loss disability and any incident in service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and PTSD are found to be disabling enough for a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The veteran's claims for service connection for meningitis and hearing loss secondary to meningitis are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an opinion regarding the progression of his tonsillitis in service.

The VA denied a compensable disability rating for the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, finding that his condition did not meet the criteria under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The low back disability, including degenerative changes or arthritis, was also not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension, finding no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for high frequency hearing loss, left ear; sinusitis and bronchitis as a result of exposure to herbicides; and skin rash as a result of exposure to herbicides. The appeals were based on presumptive service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for left leg disorder, lung disorder due to asbestos exposure, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis or link these conditions to service.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder, periodontal gum disease, and hypertension as secondary to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. Service connection was granted for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for numbness of the right thumb and the propriety of a noncompensable evaluation assigned to an original grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support these claims.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated at 100 percent, the highest possible rating under VA guidelines.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left hydrocele and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claim for residuals of a left hydrocele and that there is no current disability for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, finding that the earliest correspondence supporting this claim was in November 2001.

The VA determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD. The evidence did not support higher evaluations based on the current disability levels.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development regarding the veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss in his right ear. The current ratings for left ear hearing loss and hemorrhoids remain unchanged.