Hearing loss Board decisions

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to exposure to acoustic trauma during combat in Vietnam. The evidence supports a finding that his current hearing disability is related to service, and thus service connection is granted.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are not well grounded. The claim for recurrent left ankle sprain is well grounded, but further development is needed to determine if service connection can be established. Claims for sinus disorder and joint/muscle pain as due to an undiagnosed illness are not well grounded.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, dilated aortic root (which is well grounded), and degenerative joint disease of the shoulders and sacroiliac joints. The claim for increase in rating for left ear hearing loss remains pending.

The VA determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied because there was no evidence to support a plausible case, and thus the claim is not well-grounded.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating, as his current level of disability is rated at Level I under both old and new criteria. The veteran's claim for an increased rating was denied.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cold injury residuals of the left and right feet, and temporomandibular joint syndrome. The issues are therefore dismissed.

The Board has granted an increased rating to 10 percent for the appellant's cerebrospinal meningitis disability, effective June 1999. The hearing loss in the left ear is also rated separately under a different diagnostic code.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a personal hearing before a traveling member of the Board.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and heart disease, finding that there was no competent medical evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation on account of the need for regular aid and attendance was denied as his disabilities do not meet the criteria for such benefits.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for service connection for hearing loss was not well grounded due to a lack of medical evidence linking his current hearing loss to his period of active military service.

The Board found that the October 1991 rating decision denying service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and denied reopening of the claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension as they are not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of pneumonia, and residuals of frozen feet are not well-grounded. The evidence submitted since the previous denial does not provide a plausible basis to reopen these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss and kidney disorder were not incurred in service, and his skin cancer claim was not well-grounded due to lack of evidence linking it to radiation exposure during service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the claim for an increased rating must be denied.,The veteran's service-connected bilateral floaters are rated as noncompensable, and the claim for an increased rating must also be denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis for PTSD and denied the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and dental condition due to lack of supporting medical evidence.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence submitted, but finds that these conditions are not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The veteran's claim for increased evaluation of bilateral hearing loss from August 26, 1999 was denied. The claim for a compensable evaluation prior to that date also failed.

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for benign osteomas both ear canals with bilateral hearing loss and bilateral cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation are denied.