Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Board also found a relationship between the current disabilities and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus are denied as there is no legal basis to assign such ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, and for earlier effective date for the award of a TDIU. The claim for service connection for disability claimed as due to Agent Orange exposure is pending.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's claimed conditions to his service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The veteran's appeal for service connection on three issues (bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and perforated eardrums) has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, and thus service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denies these claims.

The Board finds that the veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, and grants entitlement to service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is not warranted, as the veteran's claims were received on May 31, 2005, which was after the one-year separation from his military service. The earliest possible effective date is therefore May 31, 2005.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for further medical opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen his claim for hearing loss and concluding that current hearing loss is not related to active military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service or training duty.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service. Service connection was also denied for hypertension as secondary to PTSD.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and a new VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for a back disorder, and his claims of entitlement to initial compensable disability ratings for bilateral hearing loss and separate 10 percent ratings for each ear for tinnitus are denied.

The Board finds that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus as there is no evidence of a current disability, and any pre-service hearing impairment did not increase in severity during service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected tinnitus, currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling, is denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent applies regardless of whether the tinnitus affects one or both ears.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need to obtain private medical records related to the veteran's tinnitus treatment.

The Board has determined that the preponderance of evidence is against the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral tinnitus and lumbar strain, finding no direct link between these conditions and his military service.