Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus were not well grounded, as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a well-grounded claim.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for service connection for residuals of right hand laceration is well-grounded and granted. The claims for service connection for sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and migraine headaches are not well grounded.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the RO's initial rating for left hip disorder, reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence, but found that a well-grounded claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has not been presented.

The veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, sinus headaches, tinnitus, chronic otitis media, a nasal deformity and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The claims for increased ratings for the left and right knee disabilities are also denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, headaches, and tinnitus were denied as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for recurrent tinnitus, but denied the claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, finding that the claim was received on January 14, 1997.,The Board also denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus, determining that the earliest possible effective date is May 18, 1983.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a link between these conditions and his active duty, and there is no medical nexus linking current hearing loss or tinnitus to service.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus is denied. The Board found that the earliest valid claim was received on July 24, 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not warrant increased ratings as they are currently rated.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and PTSD, finding that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The veteran's claims of entitlement to increased evaluations for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss will be reconsidered in light of the new evidence.

The Board found no competent medical evidence to support the veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, hearing loss, a kidney disorder, a lobular prostate, or an epididymal cyst. The claims were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus as secondary to hearing loss, and right hip disability. The decision found that the evidence did not support a well-grounded claim for any of these issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of visual acuity, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and seizure disorder are not well-grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, finding that neither criteria is more favorable to the veteran than the other.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a right wrist disability and tinnitus are not well grounded, as there is no competent evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected disabilities, including bipolar disorder and degenerative arthritis of the back and knee, which have rendered him unemployable.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and comedones (claimed as jungle rot) are well grounded. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted due to current evidence showing a nexus between in-service exposure to loud noises and gunfire and his current condition. The claim for tinnitus is also granted based on the VA examiner's opinion linking it to service noise exposure. However, the claim for comedones (claimed as jungle rot) is denied because there is no medical evidence establishing a link to service.