Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and there is insufficient evidence to establish service connection for either condition.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for residuals of back injury and granted it. The Veteran's tinnitus claim was also granted.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a non-VA facility on August 12 and 17, 2004 was denied as the services were not authorized in advance and there was no emergency situation.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to acoustic trauma during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and requesting an opinion regarding the etiology of any current hearing loss and/or tinnitus disability.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including whether there was any worsening in service or due to service exposure.

The Veteran was exposed to noise during active duty service. A current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes is not shown, but tinnitus is causally related to active service and the appeal is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 21, 2006 for the award of service connection for various disabilities was denied as there is no evidence that a formal application was received within one year of his informal claim.

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

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria, and the claimed in-service noise exposure did not result in service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

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

The veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and/or tinnitus. The Veteran's claims on appeal will be re-adjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted, with a 10 percent evaluation assigned for cholecystectomy syndrome with GERD and diarrhea. The claim for tinnitus was also granted. Other claims remain pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete records and need further examination.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a lower back condition.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence showing that entitlement arose prior to May 10, 2004.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including providing Dingess/Hartman notice and developing evidence about the alleged acoustic trauma in service. A VA examination is also needed to determine if the Veteran currently has hearing loss or tinnitus and whether these conditions are related to his military service.