Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by active service, as there was no evidence of such conditions during service or for many years thereafter. The Board also noted that the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a direct service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

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

The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as any other relevant information in the medical records.

The Board found no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma and concluded that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, chronic headaches, hypertension, or a dental disorder. Therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to noise exposure during active military service, and therefore grants entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest during or as a result of his military service, nor was it linked to any in-service noise exposure. The Board found that the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for bilateral tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for cold injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities and tinnitus, finding no evidence to support these conditions. The decision also noted that new and material evidence was submitted in relation to the claim for cold injury residuals of the bilateral upper extremities but did not reopen this claim due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that both conditions are causally related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service exposure to loud noise, and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's tinnitus has a maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability was denied as there is no current evidence of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may incurrence of an organic disease of the nervous system (sensorineural hearing loss) be presumed. The evidence did not show a current disability within one year following separation from ADT.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to acoustic trauma during combat in Vietnam. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination and requests that he be scheduled for one. The examiner should determine if his current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including noise exposure during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating of PTSD, as well as his claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims are to be considered in light of all pertinent evidence and legal authority, including whether staged ratings should be applied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are likely due to acoustic trauma exposure during service.