Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board found that there is no evidence linking the appellant's current conditions to his military service or any incident therein, including exposure to chemical dioxins. Therefore, service connection for all claimed conditions was denied.

The Board found no evidence of in-service hearing loss or tinnitus, and the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service. As a result, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service, including exposure to noise during basic training. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and a dental condition, finding that there was no current diagnosis of tinnitus from a qualified medical professional and noting that the Veteran himself denied having tinnitus at his VA examination. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a compensable service-connected dental condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus was denied as the criteria for a higher schedular rating are not met.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus as there was no evidence of its presence during or within one year after service. Service connection for diabetes mellitus claimed as a result of herbicide exposure is remanded due to incomplete personnel records and need for further verification.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is granted, with the Board finding it as likely as not that his current condition resulted from in-service noise exposure. Tinnitus was also granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a hearing loss or tinnitus during service, and any current conditions are not otherwise etiologically related to such service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, a chronic right shoulder disorder, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (claimed as a back condition), and PTSD or depression, are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for further examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service, including exposure to biological experiments.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a chronic condition within one year post-service. The current hearing loss is considered conductive and does not appear to be linked to service.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to June 23, 2004 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that the current effective date is correct as it is based on the most recent claim received.,The September 1991 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss was not reversed or revised due to clear and unmistakable error, as there was no evidence showing that the decision was incorrect in terms of applying the law at the time.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as new and material evidence was not presented to reopen the claims, and the underlying claims of service connection were also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for depression, a visual defect, and hypertension have been withdrawn. The claims for migraine headaches, seizures, and low sperm count due to radiation exposure are dismissed as unsupported by the evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his active duty service, but his tinnitus is not. The Veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral tinnitus was denied as the maximum schedular evaluation of 10 percent has already been assigned.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on all issues related to service connection for bilateral tinnitus, hearing loss, an eye disorder, headaches, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a 10 percent evaluation, the maximum authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. There is no legal basis for an increased rating.