Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for nerve deafness, tinnitus, and vertigo are not well grounded due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of active duty.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% evaluation for service-connected tinnitus is granted, with the effective date set at February 9, 1995.

The veteran's appeal is granted for increased ratings in several areas, including his left radial nerve disability and various wounds from service. However, the rating decision of June 12, 1946 involving these disabilities was found to have involved CUE.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are well-grounded, and the appeal is granted to this extent.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disorder and assigned an initial compensable evaluation of 10 percent for tinea pedis, versicolor, and tinnitus. The veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities were denied. The veteran was granted separate 10 percent ratings for tinnitus and the chin scar, as residuals of shrapnel wounds.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the January 1977 and February 1992 rating decisions, as well as his requests for earlier effective dates for service connection. The RO correctly considered all available evidence at the time and applied the relevant laws and regulations.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum schedular rating. The RO found no evidence of an exceptional disability picture that would warrant extra-schedular consideration.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for headaches, eye disorder, or tinnitus. The veteran's right hip condition was not established as service-connected.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation or for a total disability rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia of the right and left knees, tinnitus, and sarcoidosis. The current ratings were found to be appropriate based on the clinical findings and symptomatology.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and increased the rating for degenerative joint disease of the right knee to 10 percent. The claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability remains pending.

The veteran's claim for defective hearing in the left ear is well grounded, but his claims for tinnitus and shingles of the scalp are not well grounded.,The veteran has a history of migraine headaches that have been rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that he does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are well-grounded. However, further development is needed before reaching a decision on the merits of these claims due to the absence of a VA examination or medical opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's hearing disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy including claimed as secondary to exposure to herbicides due to a lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased rating for achalasia with scarring post esophageal surgery, finding that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to service. The highest disability rating available under VA regulations is 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and a left eye disorder are not well-grounded, as there is no medical evidence of current disabilities or a causal link to service.

The Board has found that the veteran's claim for service connection for defective hearing is plausible and well grounded. The claim of service connection for tinnitus on a direct basis is denied.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disorder and left ear disorders, including hearing loss, tinnitus, and otitis media. The rating for PTSD was increased to 70 percent disabling.