Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2005

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bronchitis, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not attributable to his period of active military service.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and increased the evaluation of lumbar spine disability to 20 percent, effective March 2000. The claim for GERD was not addressed as it was not part of the original appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran was exposed to noise in service and sustained these conditions as a result.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The VA examiner found it much less likely than not that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by noise exposure in service.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied both the original claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and the reopened claim for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service. The Board also found that the veteran did not have noise exposure in service that could cause his current disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss disability for service connection purposes and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to hazardous noise during active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus and defective hearing in the left ear are related to service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA psychiatric examination to evaluate the severity of his PTSD and anxiety disorder with mixed anxiety and depressive features. The claim will be held in abeyance pending resolution of the increased rating claim for the service-connected psychiatric disorder.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence showing a current diagnosis of tinnitus related to military service.

The veteran's appeal for a higher rating for service-connected tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus were both granted by the Board. The veteran was found to have a clear history of hearing impairment due to exposure to acoustic trauma during service, which is now considered direct service connection. His tinnitus is also considered service connected.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Meniere's disease, hearing loss, and tinnitus are not service-connected as they were not present during or within one year after his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and review of his claims, including service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as an initial rating for right eye glaucoma.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his left tympanic membrane perforation, finding that the only schedular rating provided by the rating schedule is noncompensable and there are no legal bases for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, or heart disease as claimed. The evidence does not support service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, polyuria, gastric esophageal reflux disease, and hypertension, were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred or aggravated by active military service and denied his claim for service connection.