Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2007

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to missing evidence and incomplete adjudicative documents.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are linked to service, granting his claims for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

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

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, thus service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnoses of asthma, tinnitus, back injury residuals, and left ankle injury residuals are not related to service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for status post perforated eardrums with scarring, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board finds that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not causally related to active service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus and vertigo and balance problems, including Meniere's syndrome, were not incurred or aggravated in service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and migraine headaches. Bilateral tinnitus is found to be related to active service, while the veteran's hearing loss did not undergo aggravation during service, and there is no clear evidence of a link between his current migraines and service.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is already assigned the maximum rating of 10 percent, which is the highest possible under Diagnostic Code 6260. Therefore, a higher rating cannot be granted.

The Board denied the claim of clear and unmistakable error in the October 2002 rating decision that assigned a 10 percent rating for tinnitus, finding no clear and unmistakable error.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a scar from a shell fragment wound received during service. The evidence did not establish current disabilities or show that these conditions were incurred in service.

The Board found that the evidence did not connect the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus to his time in service, thus denying both claims.

The veteran's tinnitus is found to be causally related to his service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability related to brain trauma or bilateral tinnitus due to service, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Hepatitis C, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for Hepatitis C. For PTSD, the Board determined there was no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the VA examination indicated these conditions were not related to service.

The Board has determined that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the August 1999 decision granting a 10 percent rating for tinnitus, as the veteran is already receiving the maximum schedular rating available under VA regulations. The claim for an increased rating is denied.