Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The Board will now consider whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking his current hearing loss to his military service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they were incurred during his active duty.,The veteran's ear fungus was not present during service or for many years thereafter, and it is not linked to any incident of service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to increased initial disability ratings for bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoids, as well as his claim for service connection for a right foot injury. The veteran's current conditions are rated at 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss since May 2, 2001.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. His hearing loss claim was granted, but not to a higher rating. Service connection for arthritis and PTSD was also denied. Increased ratings of 30% each were granted for his cold injury foot disabilities.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case, including requesting additional evidence from the Center for Research of Unit Records and contacting the Army Reference Branch. The veteran is also to be scheduled for an audiological examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of filariasis, right spermatic cord and lymphangitis of the left arm, hearing loss in the left ear, and bilateral tinnitus as there is no competent evidence showing these conditions are related to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's current evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss does not adequately reflect its severity, but found no evidence to warrant a compensable rating.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending requests for additional evidence. The case will be returned to the RO for obtaining service personnel records and arranging for examinations.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not due to any incident or event of active military service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on the veteran's audiometric test results.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a psychiatric evaluation to determine if L. W. was permanently incapable of self-support by reason of mental or physical defect at age 18, and for consideration of new evidence that may have reopened the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and chronic sacroiliac strain have been denied. The RO has not assigned a rating in excess of the current 10 percent evaluations for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus to his service, including noise exposure. Therefore, it denied service connection for both conditions.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his hearing loss and PTSD claims, including obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus granting a TDIU.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, concluding that his current hearing loss is more likely due to age-related presbycusis rather than military service.

The veteran's right ear hearing loss is manifested by auditory acuity level VIII, resulting in a noncompensable (0%) rating for right ear hearing loss. The left ear has normal hearing.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 30 percent, but a higher rating of 50 percent is granted due to exceptional pattern of hearing impairment.