Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine if he requires aid and attendance or is housebound due to his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bilateral tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or noise exposure. The VA examiner concluded that any current hearing loss and tinnitus were less likely due to military duty.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current conditions are not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has denied service connection for asthma and granted service connection for tinnitus. The veteran's asthma was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, while his tinnitus is as likely as not due to noise exposure in service.

The Board found no evidence of a right great toe disorder, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus in service. The veteran's claims for these conditions were denied as there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between the current disabilities and his military service.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 30 percent for migraine headaches, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral tinnitus was incurred in active service due to noise exposure during his military service.,Service connection is also granted for pleomorphic adenoma with salivary gland acinar fragments, claimed as a gland/cyst/abscess. The Board found this condition related to service based on the veteran's reported history of treatment for swollen glands and throat discomfort in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus related to his active service. His claim for an increased rating for spondylolisthesis is granted with a 20% disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic tinnitus, dental trauma residuals, and a chronic skin disorder (jungle rot) are all service-connected based on direct evidence of their onset during active duty.

The Board denied service connection for heart disease, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prior to a decision being made by the Board. The appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability. The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are more likely due to post-service occupational and recreational noise exposure.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a 10 percent evaluation, the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6260. There is no legal basis for an increased evaluation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not presented to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as there is no evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is assigned a maximum 10 percent disability rating, as the condition does not warrant a higher evaluation under the applicable diagnostic code.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus. The case is being remanded to determine if the veteran's current right knee disability, which may be aggravated by his service-connected left total knee replacement, was caused or worsened by that condition.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have tinnitus attributable to his period of military service and denied his claim for service connection.