Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board found no evidence of a causal relationship between the veteran's tinnitus and his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service due to lack of in-service evidence and no demonstrated continuity of symptoms.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to incomplete records, unclear nature of his in-service duties, and the need for a VA audiological examination.

The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active duty service, as there was no evidence of such conditions during service. The gap in time between service and post-service complaints also weighed against granting service connection.

The Board granted the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent initial rating with retroactive effective date of January 28, 2005. The earlier effective date claim was denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a VA audio examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has found that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated. The issue of entitlement to secondary service connection for bilateral tinnitus due to service-connected hearing loss is remanded.

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

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and Tinnitus, but granted service connection for a right lower extremity disability (including right ankle and right leg conditions).,Service connection was established for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted, while his claim for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is denied due to lack of in-service exposure.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly assess the veteran's current hearing acuity and determine whether any current hearing loss or tinnitus was incurred in or aggravated by his active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for TMJ disorder and denied separate ratings for bilateral tinnitus as the maximum schedular rating is already assigned.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and found the veteran's testimony regarding his exposure to noise during military service, combined with a private audiologist's opinion, sufficient evidence to grant this claim. The initial rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, bilateral eye conditions (including cataracts and glaucoma), blurred vision of the left eye, concussion, peripheral vestibular disorder, tinnitus, and depression are not related to his military service. The veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities that would allow him to be granted a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not due to disease or injury incurred in service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in service. The preponderance of evidence is against granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum of 10 percent, and no higher rating is warranted as there is no legal basis for separate evaluations for each ear.

The Board finds that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or chronic symptoms during service. The gap between separation from service and the first documented manifestations of hearing impairment preponderates against a finding of service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not caused by VA negligence or carelessness, and thus denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.