Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence showing these conditions were caused by his time in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service, and continuity of symptomatology was not shown. The claim to reopen for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending.

The Board found no evidence of current neuropathy, chronic headache disorder, tinnitus, TMJ dysfunction, skin rash, back disorder, heart disorder, or kidney disorder. The veteran's service records do not show any such conditions during his military service.

The Board has determined that service connection is granted for left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus, but denied for right ear hearing loss disability.

The veteran's claims for an initial higher rating for PTSD, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for tinnitus were all denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in medical opinions regarding the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which may be related to service. The claims will be re-adjudicated after a new examination.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and his active service. The veteran did not have a hearing disability within one year after discharge, and the medical opinions are against a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which are believed to be related to noise exposure during service. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly address the appellant's claims for service connection. This includes providing proper VCAA notice, obtaining relevant medical records, clarifying the meaning of annotations on VA documents, and scheduling examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disorder was incurred during his active military service and granted service connection for this condition. The issue of tinnitus is remanded to determine its etiology.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus did not begin during his active duty service and is not related to any in-service event or injury. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for an initial higher rating for PTSD. The veteran's spine disability was rated at 20 percent effective February 28, 2007.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred or aggravated by his military service and denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss in his left ear both began during his military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. Therefore, these claims are denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence and a need for further development, including a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for service connection of tinnitus and hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a medical nexus opinion.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. The evidence added to the record since previous decisions supports these claims.

The veteran's tinnitus has been shown to have manifested symptoms productive of recurrent tinnitus since 1990, warranting a 10% disability rating. The effective date for this grant is not specified as the claim was received within one year of the initial assignment of a zero percent rating.