Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, as there is no evidence of a current disability within one year of separation from service. The VA examiner found that post-service noise exposure was more significant than in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating for his tinnitus, as it is already at its maximum schedular evaluation of 10 percent. He also does not have separate ratings for each ear due to note (2) in Diagnostic Code 6260.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the claimant.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with the most likely cause being noise exposure during his time as a heavy machine gun operator in World War II. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a diagnosed bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus during service and finds no evidence to support his claim for service connection. The decision is denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not meet the criteria for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, or tinnitus. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service stressors leading to PTSD, nor is there credible supporting evidence linking current symptoms to service. For tinnitus, while the appellant reported hearing damage from service, no direct link was established between his current condition and service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and duodenal ulcer disease with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), do not render him unemployable as a result of his education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's tinnitus is already rated at the maximum schedular evaluation, and his arthritis of the right hand is found to be secondary to a service-connected right hand felon disability. Therefore, no additional rating can be granted for either condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were reopened, and he was granted increased ratings for PTSD and depressive disorder with anxiety and psychophysiological gastrointestinal reaction, as well as a rating for residuals of perforation right ventricle with retained intercardiac foreign body. The claim for an increased rating for muscle groups I and III of the left pectoral region, status post-left thoracotomy, was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are etiologically related to active service. Service connection was denied for a nose or throat condition (claimed as sinusitis) due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be causally related to service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition. The psychiatric disorder claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology since service, and there is no medical opinion linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and depression are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis or competent medical nexus linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board determined that there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and the Veteran's service treatment records do not show any history of these conditions. Therefore, the claims for service connection for both conditions were denied as they are not supported by competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, was not service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability that caused or contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen his previously denied claim for bilateral hearing loss and concluding that he does not have a current disability of tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active military service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for these conditions.

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