Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2000

The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional notification and development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus was incurred during his active military service and granted service connection for it. The veteran is also entitled to a higher disability rating of 30 percent for PTSD, as the evidence shows an increase in severity since the last evaluation.

The Board has denied service connection for impaired vision, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's knee strain and tinnitus are related to his active service, but hypertension is not established. The decision denies all other claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred as a result of his exposure to acoustic trauma during service. Therefore, the appeal for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluation of right wrist fracture, service connection for right knee disability, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and back disability. The RO found that there was no evidence to support a higher rating or service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the previously denied claim. The veteran is now entitled to service connection for tinnitus.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were evaluated, but the RO denied increased ratings for both conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that his suicide was not due to a service-connected disability and thus denying the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral tinnitus and hearing loss, as well as his claim for service connection for otitis media. The evidence did not show current disabilities or a nexus to service.

The veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is service-connected, but denied reopening of his tinnitus claim due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and left ear pain due to a lack of competent medical evidence demonstrating these conditions were related to service.

The veteran's claims of defective hearing and tinnitus are granted. The PTSD claim is remanded for further development.

The Board denied all claims, finding that residuals of a fracture of the left femur do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, residuals of a head injury with brain concussion, fracture of the right frontal bone, and residual anxiety do not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent, and tinnitus does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to noise exposure during military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is due to trauma and noise exposure during active service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is not related to his active duty service or his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but further action is needed to decide their merits.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not warrant a higher evaluation under the applicable rating criteria, as his audiometric results did not show a disability to the degree of severity reported by him. The noncompensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and 10 percent evaluation for tinnitus remain unchanged.