Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ear tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this condition. The memory loss disability claim was not addressed as it did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's seizure disorder is related to head trauma in service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

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

The veteran's claim for separate compensable evaluations for tinnitus in each ear is denied as there is no legal basis to award such ratings given the highest allowable schedular rating of 10 percent has been assigned.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for chronic PTSD. The veteran served in Vietnam and experienced combat-related stressors, leading to a diagnosis of chronic PTSD. Service connection is granted for this condition. Chronic tinnitus was also found to have originated during active service due to inservice noise exposure from aircraft operations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's symptoms are chronic and continuous since his military service.

The veteran's claim for separate 10 percent ratings for tinnitus in each ear was granted. The effective date for the award of special monthly compensation for loss of use of the right foot was set at April 12, 2005.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service for bilateral defective hearing and tinnitus. For the digestive disorder with bowel resection, the Board determined that the veteran was born with Meckel's diverticulum and it is not related to military service.

The RO granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a 10% rating, effective March 12, 2004. The veteran appealed the effective date.

The Board has ordered that all relevant medical records be obtained and a VA examination is needed to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of the veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and shell fragment wound residuals. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current hearing loss or tinnitus related to service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service. The lung disability issue is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of excision of lipoma were denied as there is no legal basis for the assignment of an evaluation in excess of the current rating.

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

The Board has determined that the evidence does not show a current right ear hearing disability related to service. The veteran's left ear hearing loss is currently established, but it did not meet VA compensation criteria at the time of separation from service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities have been denied. The RO has determined that the evidence does not support higher evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, left forearm strain, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a lack of current diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-IV criteria.