Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board found that the veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service disease or injury, and the preponderance of the evidence shows that any current hearing loss and tinnitus are not causally related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, left foot drop with hyperreflexia and ankle clonus, shell fragment wounds of the left thigh, bilateral tinnitus, shell fragment wounds of the left anterior chest, shell fragment wound of the right elbow, and right ear hearing loss, prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his active service, including in-service noise exposure. Similarly, the Veteran's tinnitus is also found to be related to his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his active service, with noise exposure during service being a contributing factor.

The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the specified criteria for issuance of a certificate of eligibility.

The Board denied the Veteran's attempt to reopen his claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 70%, which meets the minimum schedular criteria for TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as he can perform sedentary employment.

The Veteran's claimed residuals of a fractured nose are not shown to be related to service.,His hearing loss disability is not shown to have originated in service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for tinnitus, which is granted. The Veteran's credible lay testimony regarding his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma and continuous symptoms since service raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected long thoracic nerve injury of the left arm and bilateral tinnitus were both evaluated at their maximum allowable ratings (noncompensable for the former, 10 percent for the latter).

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The claim to reopen a back disability was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss, major depressive disorder, and tinnitus) render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and chronic tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his period of active military service, nor can they be presumed to have been so incurred. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Board also found no nexus between the claimed conditions and service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he attributes to noise exposure during his naval service. The appeal is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have right ear hearing loss or tinnitus that is attributable to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and an initial noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to service, while his hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus, finding that no basis existed to assign such a date based on his original claim filed in February 2006.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not meet the threshold eligibility requirements for VA compensation benefits due to a lack of verified active military, naval, or air service.