Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not due to a service-connected disability. The RO proposed reducing the veteran's evaluation for bilateral hearing loss from 40 percent to 20 percent, but this reduction was not finalized as the veteran did not file a complete notice of disagreement.

The veteran died from cerebral hemorrhage, which was not related to his service-connected conditions. The Board found that the cause of death did not stem from any service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for depression, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision on hearing loss will be deferred until further development is completed.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a fungal infection of the ears and tinnitus were denied. The effective date for service connection for tinnitus was set at February 20, 1997.

The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for service-connected bilateral tinnitus has been denied as the maximum schedular rating is already assigned.

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The veteran has withdrawn their appeal, so the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss disability and found it was incurred in service. Tinnitus is not shown to be related to service.

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

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of such conditions during service. The VA examiner concluded that it is not as likely as not that the veteran's hearing loss or tinnitus resulted from acoustic trauma during military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's tinnitus is related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss or military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

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

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

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding no persuasive medical evidence indicating that his tinnitus was incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to completion of its appellate review for the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is remanded to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) in Washington, DC.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the appellant's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a back injury, and hypertension. The appellant needs to provide records from his periods of active duty for training, including those related to his 1964 and 1965 surgeries, post-service injuries, worker's compensation claim, and Social Security Administration disability benefits.

The Board finds that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to noise exposure experienced during active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the veteran. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not establish a link to military service or any other condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.