Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus on an extraschedular basis is denied as the evidence does not show marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development of evidence, including verifying the veteran's service as a tank gunner and obtaining an opinion on the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of a 10 percent evaluation for tinnitus, which was previously denied. The RO has been instructed to obtain any relevant medical records from 1978 and determine if this can be granted.

The veteran's right knee disability was incurred in service and the Board finds that he is entitled to service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The issue of tinnitus will be addressed further as it requires additional development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that these disabilities were incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not incurred during his active service due to noise exposure. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent disability rating, effective from August 26, 1994. The claim for increased PTSD evaluation is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and found that it is at least as likely as not related to service. The claim for a higher disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss remains unresolved.

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hip and leg disabilities were denied. The claim for a back condition was also denied. The TDIU claim is pending.

The Board has jurisdiction over the veteran's appeal and will review his claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and scars from shell fragment wounds. The issues of increased evaluation for PTSD and reopening of claim for service connection for malaria are remanded.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for otitis externa, left ear hearing loss, and left ear tinnitus have been denied. The Board found no evidence of active disease or disability for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic renal failure. The claim for PTSD was also denied as it did not result in occupational and social impairment warranting a higher evaluation. The shell fragment wound scars were evaluated at their current levels of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for tinnitus and found that he was not entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a thoracic spine disorder and tinnitus, finding no evidence to support these claims. The claim for a compensable evaluation for duodenal ulcer was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to recent changes in the laws affecting the processing of service connection claims, and further development is required.

The Board dismissed the appellant's appeal for service connection of personality disorder. The claim of increased evaluation for depressive disorder was denied, and the claim of tinnitus was granted as incurred in service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, thus a total rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The Board dismissed the appeal because no timely substantive appeal was filed within the required time frame.