Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability as secondary to a low back disability, and for bilateral hearing loss are denied. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is pending due to the need for further evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between his current disabilities and his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to acoustic trauma experienced during his period of service, and the Board finds that it is due to a disease or injury incurred in active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current right ear hearing loss disability and that his left ear hearing loss was present prior to service. The VA examiner opined that the preexisting left ear hearing loss did not increase in severity during service, and is not related to service. For tinnitus, the VA examiner also opined that it is not related to service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to in-service acoustic trauma, warranting service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as evidenced by the lack of in-service complaints or diagnoses and normal audiometric results during service. The current conditions are more likely due to post-service noise exposure and other factors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service disease or injury related to these conditions.

The Veteran's pes planus, back disorder, major depression, hearing loss, and tinnitus were not found to be service-connected.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is manifested by recurrent bilateral ringing in the ears. The Board finds that a higher initial rating for tinnitus is not warranted.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities and his service, including exposure to noise trauma. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

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

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and hypertension. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is REMANDED to the RO.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis of the right knee is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of objective evidence of limitation of motion or instability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is likely related to in-service acoustic trauma, and service connection for this condition is granted. However, there is no evidence of tinnitus during or after service, so service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran claims service connection for tinnitus, which he alleges is related to noise exposure during service. The VA examiner found no current disability of tinnitus at the time of the examination but noted a history of resolved tinnitus. Further examination and review of recent audiology evaluations are needed to determine if the Veteran has current tinnitus related to service.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise, and grants service connection for tinnitus as likely due to noise exposure during active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not occur in or are not related to his active duty service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for readjudication of his claims due to additional evidence introduced into the record.