Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2006

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current disabilities are related to noise exposure during active military service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and thus denied service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have its onset during active service or result from disease or injury in service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim, thus denying service connection.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that his current condition is as likely due to noise exposure in service or associated with his service-connected hearing loss.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, and thus denied his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus disability.

The veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for rupture of the left Achilles tendon and bilateral hearing loss were denied. Service connection was not established for tendonitis of the left elbow, disability of the thoracic spine, disability of the left great toe, or disability of the right shoulder.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied both the reopening and the merits of the claim. The decision regarding tinnitus was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. For bilateral hearing loss, a noncompensable evaluation is assigned since the effective date of March 3, 2004. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, and thus denies his claim for a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, tinnitus, gastrointestinal condition due to an undiagnosed illness, muscle pain due to an undiagnosed illness, and a nervous condition (claimed as sleep disturbance) due to an undiagnosed illness. The veteran's claims were not supported by medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a disability due to impaired hearing for VA purposes and his tinnitus is not related to service. The claim for lumbosacral strain, to include as secondary to a service-connected left foot disorder, is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and right knee disability are not related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and development due to incomplete responses in a previous VA examination report.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and medical examinations to assess the veteran's hearing loss, PTSD, left foot disability, scar, and left hip/leg pain.

The veteran's initial service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, but the RO failed to provide proper VCAA notice regarding higher rating claims. The case is being remanded to address this issue.

The veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for an increased rating of tinnitus, and the Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.

The VA audiologist found the veteran currently has bilateral tinnitus, but could not determine if it was related to service due to lack of available service medical records. The Board therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's tinnitus is found to be more likely than not secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and thus service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board found no evidence of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus during service and concluded that the current conditions are not related to military noise exposure. As a result, the veteran's claims for service connection were denied.