Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2003

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral tinnitus and loss of tooth #19 are service-connected, with the hearing loss and tinnitus related to combat exposure during service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected defective hearing in the left ear and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under VA regulations.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding new and material evidence. The case is remanded to obtain medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be due to service acoustic trauma, warranting service connection.

The veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as the RO had already awarded a 100 percent schedular rating for PTSD, which is considered total disability. The issues of increased ratings for hearing loss and tinnitus are pending.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to procedural issues and the need for additional medical examinations.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss has caused his tinnitus. The Board granted secondary service connection for the veteran's bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for Meniere's disease, finding that it is proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability (otitis externa, hearing loss, and tinnitus).

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD is granted, and he is now rated at 30 percent. The issue of reopening the tinnitus claim due to new evidence is also resolved in favor of the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar affective disorder, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of well-groundedness.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability manifested by hearing loss in the right ear or tinnitus, and denied his claims for service connection. The claim for a compensable evaluation for his service-connected hearing loss in the left ear was also denied.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to service. The veteran must undergo a VA audiometry examination to determine if he currently suffers from these disabilities, and whether they are related to his military service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and cervical spine disability have been shown to be causally related to his military service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus and determined that new and material evidence has been submitted.,Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss as a direct result of noise exposure during active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 10% rating effective from August 21, 2000. The veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss was also granted. However, the decision did not address or grant service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than July 10, 1998 for service connection for tinnitus and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The RO granted an increased rating of 20 percent for his bilateral hearing loss as of June 10, 1999.

The veteran's bilateral pes planus is rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The veteran's tinnitus remains at a non-compensable evaluation.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service, resulting in a grant of service connection.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus and lumbar spondylosis do not prevent him from obtaining substantially gainful employment in a sedentary-type job.