Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, which represents a complete grant of the benefit sought on appeal.

The veteran is not shown to be unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service connected disabilities, and the Board finds that his inability to work is due to nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's otitis media status post perforated left ear drum, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of the veteran's claimed tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding medical records and treatment from private providers and VA.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, while his bronchial asthma, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine are not service-connected.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for tinnitus as it was not present in service and is not etiologically related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's request for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical service provided on October 1, 2003 due to lack of authorization and failure to meet the criteria for reimbursement under VA regulations.

The Board denied service connection for a headache disorder.,The Board also denied entitlement to an effective date prior to June 12, 2001 for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The veteran's claim for PTSD was denied due to the VA examiner finding no current symptoms of PTSD.,The veteran's claim for hearing loss was previously denied and new evidence did not relate his hearing loss to service.

The veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his unemployability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied. Service connection for tinnitus was granted, but the veteran is seeking a higher initial rating.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied the claim of service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The evidence submitted since the previous denial does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate any of these claims.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is already assigned the maximum rating of 10 percent, and therefore he cannot receive a separate 10 percent rating for each ear.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus did not meet the criteria for service connection as they were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than January 7, 2003 for the grant of service connection for seizures with syncope episodes and insomnia, migraine headaches, tinnitus, and premature ventricular contractions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The claim for a bilateral foot disorder is remanded due to insufficient development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for chronic bilateral hearing loss disability and chronic tinnitus. The veteran's service records do not show any specific mention of these conditions, but both are linked to his reported noise exposure during military service.,For chronic bilateral hearing loss disability, the Board found that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether it was incurred due to military noise exposure, and thus granted service connection. For chronic tinnitus, the Board concluded that there is insufficient evidence linking it directly to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active military service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.