Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, but his tinnitus claim is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus as there was no credible evidence of in-service stressors or verified combat experience. The VA medical records did not show current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination and additional development due to incomplete medical records and lack of review by the examiner.

The Board found no medical evidence to support a relationship between the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus and his military service, thus denying both claims.

The veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service, with credible evidence of continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and rheumatic fever as there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active service.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, which are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are causally related to acoustic trauma during his military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, while erectile dysfunction is not. The veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining reserve service records and verifying all periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA. The veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are being evaluated based on exposure to loud noises during service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, which are rated at a combined level of 80 percent, are shown to be productive of an overall level social and industrial incapacity as to be found to preclude the veteran from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during service or as a result of military noise exposure, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to missing service medical records and the need for additional examination. The VA will provide notice regarding effective dates and disability evaluations, conduct a new examination, and consider all submitted evidence.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to properly adjudicate all issues on appeal, including verifying the veteran's claims of helicopter crashes and examining his current conditions.

The Board finds that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not attributable to incidents of military service, as there is no objective evidence demonstrating these conditions during or for many years after service separation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is not related to noise exposure during service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left knee disorder, service connection for a left ankle disorder, postoperative residuals of left wrist ganglion cyst removal, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing before the RO. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.