Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for separate 10 percent disability ratings for bilateral tinnitus and an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding no legal basis for the requested ratings and concluding that the earliest possible effective date was December 1, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased evaluation for right ear hearing loss, finding no evidence of a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's numbness of the right third finger, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to service. The claim for a scar of the left arm was withdrawn by the veteran.

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as he did not have these conditions prior to entering military service. The presumption of soundness applies, and thus the veteran cannot establish service connection for his bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service medical records and insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities. The veteran will need a VA audiological examination to determine if he currently suffers from these conditions and whether they are related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the earliest possible effective date is December 17, 2003.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral knee disability and back disability due to procedural reasons.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, and his hearing loss may also be related to service. The claim for hearing loss will be remanded for further examination.

The veteran's PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted increased ratings. The effective date is not specified.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be etiologically related to his active service, including noise exposure during World War II.

The veteran seeks service connection for tinnitus, which he attributes to in-service acoustic trauma. The VA has remanded the case due to insufficient examination reports regarding the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current condition is likely related to his in-service ear pathology. The claim of bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The veteran's varicose veins of the right leg were incurred in service and are granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether tinnitus was causally related to the veteran's in-service acoustic trauma, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The veteran's hypertension was not service-connected, and his PTSD, tinnitus, left wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss, and face shrapnel wound were all denied increased ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is service-connected and has granted a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to acoustic trauma experienced during his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied by the Board. The maximum schedular disability rating of 10 percent is assigned for both conditions.

The Board finds that the veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, and grants service connection for this condition. Hearing loss is not shown to be related to service.