Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus did not have its onset during service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right eye cataract, tinnitus, and hearing loss, do not render him unemployable considering his educational and occupational background.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic bilateral tinnitus, finding that the veteran's military service is likely to have caused or aggravated his current condition. Service connection was denied for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, but his cholesteatoma is not.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and sinusitis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.,VA examinations found no current evidence of sinusitis during active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have service connection for tinnitus or a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claims are both denied.

The Board found no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability during service and denied the claim. For hearing loss, VA medical opinion indicated that it is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure but did not find a current disability. The tinnitus issue was also addressed by the examiner.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including providing proper VCAA notice and requesting any relevant evidence from the veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to the unavailability of service medical records and the need for a VA examination to determine if current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service, particularly given the significant passage of time between discharge from active duty and the onset of these conditions. The claims for service connection were therefore denied.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal on all issues except the increased evaluation for a scar of the left shoulder.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is already rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and no separate ratings are allowed under current regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no competent objective evidence demonstrating these conditions at any time during or subsequent to service.

The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for PTSD or Tinnitus, and thus both claims are denied.

The veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a maximum rating of 10 percent, and the appeal for an increased rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, right hip arthritis, left hip arthritis, and DDD of the spine are not related to his service or any incident therein. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for effective dates prior to January 7, 2003 for grants of service connection for hearing loss disability and tinnitus as there was no claim submitted prior to that date.

The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus did not occur in service or are not attributable to his periods of active duty service, thus denying service connection for both conditions.

The veteran's appeal for separate schedular ratings for tinnitus in each ear was denied as there is no legal basis to award such ratings given the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has already been assigned.