Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete service medical records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for recurrent tinnitus, and it denied an increased rating for postoperative hemorrhoids.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as his combined disability rating is only 60 percent and does not meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's appeal is about his ability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities. The RO has requested additional information from the veteran, including employment history and education details, and ordered VA examinations for audiological and psychiatric evaluations.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The current diagnoses are not related to service.

The veteran withdrew his appeal of two issues: entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and entitlement to a compensable rating for residuals, postoperative repair, extensor tendon, 4th and 5th digits, left hand with residual scars. The remaining issue is the evaluation of hearing loss.

The Board has denied service connection for hepatitis C, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tinnitus, deafness, hypertension, and visual impairment claimed as an eye disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of current disabilities or a nexus to service.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions were not caused by his service or service-connected disabilities, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between current hearing loss and tinnitus and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus, finding that the earliest possible effective date is the date of receipt of his formal claim on January 10, 2005.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus was not present during service or within one year of separation, and is unrelated to any incident of service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for SMC based on regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a right inguinal hernia, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcer disease, and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, while his claims for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a mouth injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor could they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection.