Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his current hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge due to lack of evidence of in-service noise exposure. The Board also found no medical evidence linking his current tinnitus to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are attributable to his active service, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his period of active service, while his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a current disability under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied. The issue of an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and dysthymic disorder) remains pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions do not combine to preclude substantially gainful employment, and therefore denied his claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence shows a relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus and his military service, including exposure to loud noises during active duty in Vietnam. As such, the claims are granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service, thus denying both claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not related to service, including any in-service noise exposure. As a result, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and basal cell carcinoma are being remanded due to the unavailability of his service records. A VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure or sun exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss and that there is no competent medical evidence linking either condition to service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiological and ENT examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service, while his tinnitus is not. Bilateral hearing loss is granted as a result of noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during service or within the applicable presumptive period, and the currently-diagnosed tinnitus is not associated with his active duty.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities. His anxiety/depression disorder has been granted service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for a higher evaluation for tinnitus and service connection for PTSD were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for separate schedular ratings for bilateral tinnitus, as such disability is already at its maximum rating of 10 percent. For his psychiatric disorder claim, the Board noted that VA had not obtained all relevant mental health treatment records and that a VA examination was needed to determine if PTSD or other psychiatric disorders were linked to service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no schedular basis upon which to award more than a single, 10 percent rating. The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was also denied due to the maximum schedular rating being assigned.