Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma.,The Veteran has a current prostate condition that is at least as likely as not related to his service.

The Board found no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus within one year following service, and the VA examiner opined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were less likely as not caused by noise exposure in service. As such, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as his pre-existing conditions did not worsen during service. The claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is also remanded for further examination and determination of its etiology.

The Veteran's asthma and GERD are service-connected, with the GERD receiving a 10% disability rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. After review of all evidence, including VA and private medical records, the Board finds no direct link between the Veteran's military service and his current hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and denied the claim for service connection. The decision also noted that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims of bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, bilateral tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision found no evidence of in-service onset or relationship to service.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have hearing loss in his left ear or tinnitus that is related to service. The appellant's current conditions were first noted many years after service and there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and any disease or injury incurred during service.

Your claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is a result of his period of active service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted an effective date of February 8, 1996 for the award of service connection for tinnitus and denied an earlier effective date. The effective date of February 28, 2008 was properly assigned for the award of service connection for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. However, there is insufficient evidence to support a finding of tinnitus being incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his military service and has granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD, were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an extraschedular evaluation for his service-connected bilateral tinnitus, finding no evidence of exceptional or unusual disability that would warrant such a rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to noise exposure during service and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and vertigo are related to his active duty service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and his current conditions. The Veteran's complaints of ringing in his ears during basic training were considered credible, but the absence of contemporaneous medical records and the lack of any probative medical evidence linking his hearing loss or tinnitus to service prevented the Board from granting service connection for these conditions.