Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2006

The veteran's tinnitus is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and his bilateral hearing loss has a noncompensable rating. The RO granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's dental condition is not related to in-service trauma and denied his claim for service connection. The hearing loss and tinnitus issues are remanded for further development.

The veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a rating of 40 percent effective December 20, 2000.,The veteran's cervical spine disability and right shoulder DJD were both granted initial ratings.

The veteran's tinnitus disability is already rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations, and separate ratings for each ear are not warranted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have tinnitus that is related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that he did not meet the criteria for such a rating.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including vocal cord disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, and vision loss, are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of evidence.

The veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, tendonitis of the shoulder, burn on left hand, and hearing loss were denied. The claim for fracture of right little finger was granted.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, or sinus condition during service or within one year after separation. The veteran's claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already rated at the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 6260, and no additional rating can be granted.

The veteran's claim for separate schedular 10 percent disability ratings for bilateral tinnitus is denied as the condition is assigned a single 10 percent rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated during military service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The veteran's service-connected disabilities alone do not necessitate the care or assistance of another person on a regular basis to attend to the activities of daily living.

The veteran's claim for separate 10 percent ratings for each ear for tinnitus was denied as there is no legal basis to award such ratings given the maximum schedular rating available for tinnitus.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 6260. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already assigned the maximum evaluation of 10 percent, and therefore separate evaluations for each ear are denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already rated at the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 6260, and thus a separate rating for each ear cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not timely perfect his appeal in regards to entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. As a result, this issue is dismissed.

The veteran's appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus was withdrawn. The case is being remanded to the RO for further development regarding his claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions were more likely due to post-service occupational noise exposure.