Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence to support a finding that these conditions are related to his time in military service.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. The Board finds that there is no legal basis for a higher evaluation.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims. The Board also found that tinnitus is not related to active duty.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for tinnitus is not warranted, as the veteran did not timely appeal the August 1997 rating decision denying his claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is assigned a maximum 10 percent rating, and there is no legal basis for an increased evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including exposure to acoustic trauma in combat. The VA medical examiner concluded it is not as least as likely as not that the veteran's current high frequency sensorineural hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a causal link between these conditions and his active duty.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to insufficient examination reports. The VA needs to provide a new audiological evaluation to determine the nature, severity, and etiology of any current hearing loss or tinnitus found.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of service periods and obtaining medical records. The veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being evaluated to determine if they were incurred during a period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to service, including the period of active duty.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection of tinnitus, finding no current diagnosis and insufficient evidence linking it to his military service.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss was denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been assigned, as there is no legal basis for a higher evaluation. For bilateral hearing loss, the most recent VA audiological examination did not meet the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim for service connection for tinnitus, thus denying the reopening of the claim.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is already assigned the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, so he cannot be granted separate evaluations for each ear.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice regarding secondary service connection for tinnitus, and the veteran's claim of service connection as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and an effective date earlier than June 6, 2006 for the award of service connection for tinnitus have been denied. The RO has assigned a noncompensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss since its initial grant in 2003, and granted service connection for tinnitus with an effective date of June 6, 2006.

The veteran's appeal was denied for the requested increased ratings and effective dates. The maximum rating of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus is assigned, and there are no legal grounds to grant a higher rating.