Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2006

The VA determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss. The case is remanded to determine if there is sufficient hearing loss in the right ear to meet VA disability criteria and to reassess the status of his hearing loss, including in his left ear.

The veteran's claim for TDIU was granted with an effective date of May 1, 1998.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to the claimed conditions, except for tinnitus which was established as being related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of hearing loss or eye problems in service and insufficient medical opinion to support a link between current conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a personal hearing at the RO in Columbia, South Carolina.

The veteran's claim for a separate 10 percent rating for his service-connected tinnitus is denied as the maximum allowable rating of 10 percent has already been assigned.

The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion is not sufficiently clear and thus remanding for a new examination to address whether the veteran's tinnitus is causally related to service noise exposure.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation at the aid and attendance or housebound rate is denied as he does not meet the schedular requirements for housebound status due to his service-connected disabilities, and there is no evidence that his need for aid and attendance is solely due to a service-connected disability.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that is related to his military service. The evidence shows he was exposed to noise during service, but there is no medical evidence linking these conditions specifically to his time in service.

The Board found that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a pre-existing condition worsening during service. The current hearing loss is considered to be due to natural progression rather than noise exposure in service.

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

The Board finds that the currently demonstrated bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are likely due to exposure to acoustic trauma during the veteran's military service, and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, Meniere's disease, and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset during active military duty.,The veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and chronic headaches were also not shown to have had their onset during active military duty.

The veteran's request for separate 10 percent disability ratings for tinnitus in each ear is denied as the current single 10 percent evaluation assigned to tinnitus disability is the maximum evaluation under VA rating criteria.

Your appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or connection to military service for these conditions.