Hearing loss Board decisions

The veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than October 8, 1998 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The claim for a rating greater than 10 percent for tinnitus has also been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated during active service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current level of disability did not warrant an increase beyond the assigned 0 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss warrants a 10 percent rating effective from August 31, 1998.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, residuals of an injury to the right posterior tibial nerve, and chronic bronchitis have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a greater than 10 percent evaluation for any condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear disease, hearing loss disability, degenerative joint disease of the glenohumeral joint, bilateral knee and ankle disabilities, and residuals of a right wrist injury. The evidence does not support the presence of these conditions during or after military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss in the left ear due to new and material evidence submitted since the April 1982 rating decision. The claim will be further developed before a final determination is made.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, which was previously denied in March 1989.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a compensable rating of 10 percent for COPD prior to January 21, 2002. The claims for tinnitus, sinusitis, hemorrhoids, and allergic rhinitis were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD and no increase in hearing loss during or after service.

The VA granted an initial increased evaluation of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss effective September 25, 1998 and a subsequent increase to 40 percent effective June 10, 1999.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss, as well as his request for an initial compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss. The evidence did not support a finding of current or past hearing loss in either ear by VA standards.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, but rather to noise exposure during his post-service employment. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence submitted since the final denial in December 1975. The evidence now supports a finding that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Board found that there was no evidence linking the veteran's hearing loss in the right ear to service, and that his PTSD did not meet the criteria for service connection due to a lack of verified in-service stressor. The veteran's claims were therefore denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits, finding that the claim was not filed until February 9, 1999 when new evidence (the amended death certificate) established entitlement.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and his eligibility for outpatient dental treatment based on a noncompensable service-connected dental condition. The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss began after service and was not related to service, and that his current dental conditions were due to old age and noise exposure rather than service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensable evaluations for left ear hearing loss and left ear otitis media, as well as a claim for a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities. The preponderance of evidence was against these claims.