Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's tinnitus to his active service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and requests for additional evidence and examination.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset in service or due to his malaria medications, and thus denied service connection for both conditions.

The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for tinnitus is denied as the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent has been assigned and there is no legal basis to award separate ratings for each ear.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability manifested by bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that is due to or aggravated by disease or injury during military service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not currently service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, finding no current diagnoses or evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support these claims.

The Board denied service connection for a dental condition, tinnitus, and residuals of an injury to the right hand. The conditions were not found to be incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's current hearing problems are more likely due to other causes rather than in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated therein. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim of ulnar nerve compression/ulnar neuropathy. The rating for left shoulder disability was also denied.

The Board has granted the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for residuals of ear infections, to include bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The issue is now on the merits.

The Board granted a 60 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected Meniere's disease, effective October 28, 2005.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and issuing a statement of the case for his tinnitus claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board found no current disability of tinnitus and determined that the veteran's complaints were more consistent with normal hearing than true tinnitus. Therefore, service connection for tinnitus was denied.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. There is no legal basis for a higher rating as there is only one disability rating allowed for bilateral tinnitus.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is assigned a maximum rating of 10 percent, and therefore cannot be rated separately for each ear.