Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2003

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the veteran's current left knee, tinnitus, and otitis externa disabilities and his military service. The veteran needs to provide information about any medical treatment he received for these conditions since separation from service and must undergo VA examinations to determine if he currently suffers from these disabilities that are related to his active duty.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The Board will now consider whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they were incurred during his active duty.,The veteran's ear fungus was not present during service or for many years thereafter, and it is not linked to any incident of service.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case, including requesting additional evidence from the Center for Research of Unit Records and contacting the Army Reference Branch. The veteran is also to be scheduled for an audiological examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of filariasis, right spermatic cord and lymphangitis of the left arm, hearing loss in the left ear, and bilateral tinnitus as there is no competent evidence showing these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending requests for additional evidence. The case will be returned to the RO for obtaining service personnel records and arranging for examinations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus to his service, including noise exposure. Therefore, it denied service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 30 percent, but a higher rating of 50 percent is granted due to exceptional pattern of hearing impairment.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and the VA examination did not establish a link between current hearing problems and military service. The veteran's claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and post-traumatic stress disorder due to a lack of current disability evidence.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case due to pending issues regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The appeal is currently on hold while additional evidence is gathered.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for separate compensable evaluations for his service-connected bilateral tinnitus, finding that only a single evaluation is assignable under current VA regulations.

The veteran is granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and a rating of 50 percent for PTSD, effective from the date of the decision.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as a result of his own abilities and the lack of available jobs, despite his qualifications.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims of entitlement to increased evaluations for tinnitus and psoriasis due to new evidence and regulations.

The Board found that the cause of death was not service-connected and denied both the claim for service connection for the cause of death and the DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was granted with an effective date of January 31, 1996. The RO considered the schedular criteria and found that the veteran met the requirements for a 100% evaluation since he had been assigned a 70% evaluation for PTSD from July 1993.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are the result of noise exposure in service. The veteran's claims for eczema and psychoneurosis were also granted.