Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2005

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient medical evidence to decide these claims on the merits. The veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to determine if he currently meets the criteria for hearing loss disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, and whether his current tinnitus is related to service.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred in December 2002 at private hospitals were denied as he was not covered by VA health care and had private insurance that paid part of the costs.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee and right shoulder disabilities, as well as his tinnitus, are service-connected. However, there is no evidence of a current heart disability or bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus is granted, and his claim to reopen the bilateral hearing loss claim is also granted. The veteran currently experiences tinnitus and it is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, including noise exposure over a 23-year period. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and a dermatological disorder (claimed as a rash) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active duty or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection of hearing loss, tinnitus, and a heart condition are denied. The claim for PTSD is also denied. Service connection for defective vision was previously denied in January 1946 and new evidence does not reopen this claim. Service connection for a heart condition was previously denied in August 1967 and no new evidence has been submitted to reopen this claim. The veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, recurrent nosebleeds, and athletes foot, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The veteran's appeal for a higher evaluation for bilateral tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his service-connected bilateral tinnitus was dismissed due to the death of the veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected conditions were denied.,He was awarded a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, effective January 19, 1999.

The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred.

The veteran's service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to the claimed conditions. The veteran testified that he did not receive medical treatment for these conditions during his military service.,VA has reviewed all available evidence and determined that there is no basis to establish service connection for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, post-traumatic headaches, hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of multiple shell fragment wounds (SFWs), carpal tunnel syndrome, and hepatitis C. The denial was based on a lack of credible evidence to support these conditions as being related to service.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service and concluded that the current conditions are not related to military service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied.

The veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) was granted effective September 30, 1999. The Board found no basis to award TDIU prior to this date.