Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left hand condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no current evidence of these conditions during the period of active service or related to military service.

The Veteran's alcoholism is not related to his service-connected PTSD. His service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence to reopen these previously denied claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to noise exposure during his military service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied due to lack of evidence showing in-service noise exposure. The claim for left hemidiaphragmatic paralysis was not addressed as it is a separate issue.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, combined at 90%, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The immediate cause of death was aspiration pneumonia, which had an onset prior to death.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss was denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been granted, but no higher rating is warranted. For bilateral hearing loss, the initial increase to a 30 percent rating effective January 31, 2007, was upheld, but no higher ratings are warranted prior to that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for a DRO hearing, clarification of medical information regarding Meniere's disease, and further development.

The Board found no evidence of a bilateral hearing loss disability or recurrent tinnitus during the qualifying period of service. The preponderance of the evidence is against establishing an etiological link between the veteran's current conditions and in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for presbyopia was denied. The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), tinnitus, residuals of a left foot injury, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, and a condition of the eyes (other than presbyopia) are pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and arthritis are not supported by the evidence of record. The claim to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for hemorrhagic fever is also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have PTSD in accordance with DSM-IV criteria and thus denied service connection for PTSD. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted as they are presumed to be related to active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are still under review.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for asbestos-related pleural disease, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss, concluding that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of July 29, 1988. The Board found that the prior August 3, 1988, tinnitus claim was never clearly adjudicated and thus the effective date is set at the day following the Veteran's discharge from service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and tinnitus as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.