Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2008

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, while severe, do not preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board denied service connection for right ear and left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral pes planus, hallux valgus and bunions as the conditions were found to be pre-existing and not aggravated by service.

The appeal for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss was withdrawn, and service connection for tinnitus was granted.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence supporting a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus.

The veteran is unemployable as a result of his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lower back disability.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to active service, while a right knee disorder is not.,The evidence supports the reopening of the claim for a left thumb disorder but does not support service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of tinnitus in service or within a year after discharge and no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to military service.

The Board granted an effective date of March 25, 1992, for the grant of service connection for tinnitus.

The veteran's PTSD has been manifested by complaints of nightmares, impaired sleep, flashbacks, irritability, lack of motivation, exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance; objectively, productive of no more than occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency, with Global Assessment of Functioning scores indicating mild to moderate symptoms upon VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as it was not shown by competent clinical evidence to be etiologically related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence to support a conclusion that these conditions were related to his active service.

The veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, and the Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD from February 23, 2004 to March 24, 2005. Other claims were denied or remained at their current ratings.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claims for further development and examination.

The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability, bilateral ankle disability, defective hearing, and tinnitus as there was no evidence of current disabilities related to the veteran's military service.

The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a maximum rating of 10 percent, and the effective date for the award of service connection for tinnitus was properly set at August 24, 2004.