Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during his active service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The claims of service connection for low back and left knee disabilities have been reopened, but the evidence is insufficient to make a decision on the merits at this time.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was received on June 21, 2007. The Board found that it is not factually ascertainable during the year prior to June 21, 2007, that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, but his bilateral hearing loss is not. The decision grants service connection for tinnitus and denies service connection for hearing loss.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise and grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The appellant is seeking a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but the RO has not treated these conditions as arising from a single incident. The appeal is remanded to consider whether he is unemployable due to service-connected disability alone and to obtain SSA records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated in active military service.

The Veteran's hypertension is not rated as compensable.,There is no evidence of a current right knee disability.,There is no evidence of a current right shoulder disability.,There is no evidence of a current right lung disability.,There is no evidence of a current cervical spine disability.,There is no evidence of a current thoracic spine disability.,The Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for service connection.,There is no evidence of residuals of burst left ear drum other than hearing loss.,PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by service.,Tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service.,A missing partial spinal cord and congenital tethered cord syndrome were not incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their origin during his period of active military service. The VA audiologist's opinion was based on a full review of the claims file, including service medical records and VA examination reports. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus is denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with a finding of current disability and in-service noise exposure. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to noise exposure during his military service. The claim of service connection for migraine headaches is remanded due to a need for additional development.

The Veteran likely has bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus that are attributable to his active military service, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss pre-existed service and was not permanently worsened during service. The Board also found no current tinnitus due to service, nor did it meet the one-year presumption for organic diseases of the nervous system.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence of an exceptional disability picture or that the schedular evaluations are inadequate.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the previously denied claims of service connection for PTSD and a low back disability. The other issues remain denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a need for further development, including additional medical examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial disability evaluations for his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was set at June 3, 2008.