Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of medical nexus opinions and inadequate VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. Therefore, service connection for these disabilities was denied.

The veteran's disability compensation benefits were reduced due to incarceration periods for felony convictions, and the reduction was found to be proper.

The veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he claims are related to his military service. However, the VA has not obtained all of the necessary medical records or conducted a proper examination to determine if these conditions are service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and increased ratings for residuals of an infected right leg and left ankle fracture due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss, finding that it was incurred in service. However, the claim for tinnitus is denied as there is insufficient evidence to support a link between his military service and his condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

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

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining service personnel records and verifying the veteran's claimed stressors. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board found that the veteran's depression is unrelated to his service-connected sick sinus syndrome, and denied both claims for hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and skin cancer as secondary to exposure to herbicides. The Board found that there was no evidence of current residuals of skin cancer, and that the veteran did not have a history of relevant treatment during service or ACDUTRA. The Board also noted that Agent Orange use at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in 1966-1967 is not one of the diseases eligible for service connection based on exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's appeals as to his claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is denied as the evidence does not show that the veteran's PTSD symptoms more closely approximate the criteria for a 50% rating.

The Board granted a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and assigned an effective date of February 11, 2004, for the award of service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of teeth other than numbers 3 through 10, increased rating for loss of teeth numbers 3 through 10, and an effective date prior to August 24, 1999, for the grant of service connection for complete loss of sense of smell.

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been fully resolved, with the RO granting such benefits in an August 2007 rating decision. The issues are therefore dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any of the claimed disabilities due to exposure to carbon tetrachloride during service. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, a left knee disability, tinea cruris, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus as there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during or as a result of his military service.

The Board has determined that the current VA audiological examination is inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service.

The Board found no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus, and the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not shown to be related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.