Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for tinnitus. Bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to the veteran's military service, while no current diagnosis of tinnitus was established.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were incurred during his active service, with some aggravation from post-service noise exposure. The decision grants service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's need for aid and attendance due to service-connected conditions, specifically his cardiomyopathy and bilateral hearing loss, has been established. He is now entitled to a higher rate of special monthly compensation.

The VA determined that the veteran's hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating based on the audiometric test results provided.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated VA clinical records, Social Security Administration (SSA) records, and vocational rehabilitation program information. The veteran's low back problems are being evaluated by a VA orthopedic specialist to determine their impact on his ability to work.

The veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss were denied. The veteran was not granted service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, but his bilateral hearing loss disability was evaluated as noncompensable prior to June 10, 1999, and then rated at 10 percent from June 10, 1999 to February 18, 2003. The evaluation for the disability increased to 20 percent starting February 19, 2003.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to noise exposure during service, and thus grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The RO is directed to request his missing service medical records (SMRs) from Ream Field, California, where he served on the flight line for 6-8 hours per day with jet airplanes. If these records are not obtained, the Board will proceed based on the evidence already available.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and an increased evaluation for tinnitus, finding that his service-connected conditions did not warrant higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen previously final decisions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including scheduling of a VA audiological examination and obtaining medical records from various sources.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and diabetes mellitus, finding that there is no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty.

The veteran's claims for service connection for chronic bilateral knee disorders with scarring, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development including examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete evidence and procedural issues.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a respiratory disability, as well as his claims for service connection for multiple other disabilities. The RO initially decided these issues in April 2002, which was before the VCAA was enacted.

The Board has restored the veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that severing it was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board has granted a 10% evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, effective from the date service connection was established.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected perforation of the left tympanic membrane with mixed hearing loss, as his condition did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.