Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete opinions in the VA examination and a change in audiometric data between service entrance and separation.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions have been dismissed due to withdrawal of the appeal regarding his right wrist disorder. The Board found no evidence of a current sleep disorder and thus denied service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and esophageal cancer, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or herbicide exposure. The claim for esophageal cancer was also denied due to lack of competent medical evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his active service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and finds that new evidence supports a finding of in-service noise exposure contributing to current tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically noise exposure during his time in Vietnam. The decision granted service connection for bilateral periodic tinnitus but denied service connection for sensorineural hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verifying a stressor event and obtaining VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that his hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's waiver of overpayment for nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that VA had greater fault in creating and assessing the debt. The additional claims for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus are remanded to the RO for issuance of a Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral tinnitus and finds that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Veteran's current tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, placing the appeal in equipoise as to whether it was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a respiratory disorder, including bronchitis and sinusitis, is denied as there is no evidence showing that any current respiratory disability was incurred in or aggravated by his active service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be causally related to noise exposure during his active military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is service-connected. The Board also granted service connection for cellulitis, otitis media, tinnitus, nasopharyngeal cancer (claimed as throat cancer), and diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a chronic disability during service. The Board finds that the current disabilities are not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of tinnitus and his hearing loss is not related to service. Therefore, he is denied service connection for both conditions.