Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not initially manifest during service or within one year afterwards, and are not shown to be otherwise related to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need to obtain treatment records from Dr. Wilson, which may impact his claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine whether the veteran is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including now-service-connected psychiatric disability. The veteran's claim of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and PTSD, but granted service connection for left forearm retained foreign body with a noncompensable rating. The veteran's claim for an initial higher rating remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the need to consider other ear disorders in addition to hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hearing loss, tinnitus, a knee disability, a low back disability, an ankle disability, or a hand disability as the result of disease or injury incurred in service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board denied a claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support such a rating due to the maximum schedular rating already assigned.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a maximum 10 percent rating, and the claim for an increased rating is denied as there are no factors warranting extraschedular consideration.

The Board has granted the veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus, finding that it was incurred during active duty service.

The Board has granted a TDIU effective April 5, 2001, based on the veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected tinea pedis did not warrant a rating greater than 10 percent, and denied his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities of bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, a chronic respiratory disorder (lung), or a bilateral foot disability. The veteran's claimed hand disability is also denied as it is not shown to be related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss and concluding that tinnitus was unrelated to service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for tinnitus, which she claims was caused by noise exposure during her military band duties. The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine the etiology of her claimed condition.

The Board has found the veteran's account of noise exposure in service to be credible and consistent with combat conditions. The medical evidence confirms that he has tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability, which are linked to his military noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and alopecia, but granted service connection for tinnitus. The back disability claim was remanded.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, while significant, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, chronic tinnitus, low back pain, and bilateral knee pain as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year of discharge, and no evidence linking them to the veteran's period of active military service.