Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2002

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing and tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for reimbursement or payment of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Lincoln General Hospital from October 30, 1997 to November 3, 1997 due to lack of eligibility under existing laws.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and a neurological disorder, finding that there was no current disability or evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, but denied earlier effective dates. The veteran's claims were not well-grounded as he did not file a claim for tinnitus until November 1999, and the RO never adjudicated his July 1993 claim for hearing loss.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board finds that the veteran did not file a formal claim for service connection for PTSD or tinnitus prior to the effective dates awarded. The claims are therefore denied as there is no evidence of an earlier effective date.

The Board has granted a TDIU rating for the veteran's service-connected disabilities, finding that they prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The right peroneal nerve injury is rated at 10 percent and does not warrant an increased rating.

The Board finds that the veteran's tinnitus is likely due to noise exposure during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected tinnitus, finding that he is already receiving the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for gastrointestinal reflux disease, bilateral athlete's foot, and tinnitus have been denied. The RO has not assigned a compensable evaluation for the veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease since March 6, 2000 to June 12, 2001, or from June 13, 2001 onwards. A separate rating for tinnitus affecting both ears is also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. The evidence does not support a diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and did not reopen the claim for congenital stenosis of the ear canals with otitis externa due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus. The veteran's testimony at his personal hearing, along with a statement from a fellow serviceman, is considered significant in deciding the merits of the claim. It is concluded that the veteran's tinnitus is likely due to acoustic trauma suffered during service.

The Board has granted a rating of 10 percent for chronic suppurative otitis media with tinnitus and assigned a separate 10 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, effective as of June 10, 1999. The veteran's service-connected conditions are not considered to be due to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War, or any other specific basis.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and vertigo, finding that these conditions are causally related to the veteran's exposure to acoustic trauma during his military service.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for service connection and earlier effective date for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to March 11, 1996 for tinnitus and for an earlier effective date than September 28, 1999 for his service-connected low back disability.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not causally related to his active service, including noise exposure. As a result, the veteran is denied entitlement to service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in service, and hypertension was not secondary to tinnitus. The claims for these conditions were therefore denied.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of tinnitus, and the Board dismissed the appeal.