Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic left ankle disability, low back disorder, bilateral defective hearing, and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service. The VA examiner could not provide a nexus opinion without resorting to speculation.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current bilateral tinnitus and his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any service-connected conditions.,There is no evidence of a current disability for renal cancer, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or knee disorder. The low back disorder was diagnosed many years after service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, and therefore denied his claims.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against the veteran's claim for service connection for Meniere's disease, as there is no in-service diagnosis or treatment related to this condition. The veteran was not diagnosed with Meniere's disease until many years after his separation from active duty.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right shoulder disorder, arm disorders, hip disorders, back and leg disorders, tinnitus, hearing loss, abdominal issues, penile numbness, and skin disorders related to herbicide exposure, were denied as there is no current medical evidence of these conditions. The veteran sustained fractures of his left ribs during INACDUTRA in 1991.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 4, 2003, for total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not show that he was unemployable within a year before his August 26, 2002 informal claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a finding that the veteran had either condition or that they were related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not shown to be related to military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have been granted health care benefits under Chapter 17 of the Veterans' Benefits Act.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is a result of noise exposure during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating for bilateral tinnitus was dismissed due to the death of the veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound, were all denied. The VA found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for hearing loss or separate 10 percent ratings for tinnitus in each ear.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a right shoulder condition.,There is no evidence showing that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a pilonidal cystectomy due to lack of current disability evidence.

The veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for various service-connected conditions were granted, with the exception of his claim for a higher evaluation for tinnitus. The effective date is not specified.