Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss warrants a 10 percent evaluation, as his audiometric test results meet the criteria for this rating under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his fatal colon cancer was not caused by any incident of service or by his established service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated in service.

The Board found that the appellant does not have current defective hearing for VA compensation purposes and denied service connection for defective hearing.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have service connection for hearing loss, right ankle injury, right wrist sprain, tinnitus, left knee chondromalacia, serous otitis media, or cyst of the right testicle. The evaluation for lumbosacral strain is 10 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for presbyopia, an ear disability, and right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

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

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's residuals of a fracture of the right thumb, residuals of a fracture of the left seventh rib (claimed as chest pain), and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted based on the current evidence.

The veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable (0 percent), and the Board denied an increased rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss with tinnitus originated during his active duty service and is therefore granted as service-connected.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss of the right ear and granted a noncompensable disability evaluation for hearing loss of the left ear. The veteran's hearing acuity in his left ear was found to be within normal limits, but he had significant threshold shift consistent with noise-induced hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding the denial of service connection for PTSD because the veteran did not timely file a substantive appeal. The claim for bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, concluding that it was not incurred or aggravated during service and could not be presumed due to noise exposure. The VA examiner found no evidence of hearing loss at the time of separation from service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for megacolon and hearing loss due to malaria medications. The claim for atrial fibrillation due to malaria medication is denied as there is no medical evidence of current disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current level of disability warranted a noncompensable rating.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a back injury, residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left hand, and bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence submitted since the July 1998 decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, increased ratings for hypertension and perforation of the left tympanic membrane with hearing loss. The veteran did not provide evidence to support his claim for PTSD due to lack of a confirmed stressor. His hypertension was rated as noncompensable because his diastolic readings were consistently below 100 and he took medication that controlled it. For the perforation of the left tympanic membrane with hearing loss, the veteran's hearing in the service-connected ear was still within normal limits.

The veteran's case is being remanded to the RO for further development and a rating decision on whether hearing loss in both ears (right and left) is service connected.