Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's claims of increased ratings for PTSD, deviated nasal septum, and bilateral hearing loss were denied by the RO.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and tinnitus.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and awarded a 10% disability rating for the veteran's left ankle fracture, finding that noise exposure during service caused his current hearing impairment and that he has moderate limitation of motion in his left ankle.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of PTSD from 10% to 30% has been granted, effective November 20, 1995. The appeal on the issue of entitlement to a compensable initial disability rating for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to service, specifically his exposure to noise in the engine room during Navy service. The claim for right ear hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability within one year post-service and no medical nexus between the current condition and service.

The Board has granted a compensable evaluation of 10 percent for service-connected otitis media of the left ear, and denied service connection for a perforated eardrum of the left ear. The hearing loss in the left ear is rated as noncompensable.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, residuals of a hemorrhage of the head, left eye disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for a skin disorder. It also determined that there was no evidence linking any current disabilities to service.

The Board found that the veteran's pes planus, hearing loss, and tinnitus were not service-connected as they did not meet the criteria for service connection under direct service connection or any other applicable theory of entitlement. The veteran's flat feet preexisted his military service and worsened during active duty, but this was not considered aggravation due to service. His hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by acoustic trauma in service, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, ruptured left tympanic membrane, and tinnitus do not warrant higher ratings as they are currently rated at their maximum levels under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities, and thus service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for hearing loss and granted service connection based on direct evidence showing that his current hearing impairment meets VA criteria. The issue of tinnitus is also addressed, with a finding in favor of service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss as no new and material evidence was received to reopen the claim.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied by the Board. The decision states that there is no legal merit to the claim as it cannot be assigned a retroactive effective date before September 26, 2000, when the original claim was received.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss, finding that it did not warrant a rating higher than the current 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the earliest possible effective date was September 3, 1999.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for PTSD, finding that the veteran's clinical signs and manifestations meet the criteria for such a rating. The decision also denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss did not warrant a compensable rating, as it was at level IX and noncompensable under both old and new VA criteria. The RO has not considered an extraschedular rating.

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