Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's increased disability rating claim for left tibia and fibula fracture residuals was denied. His TDIU claims based on schedular and extra-schedular grounds were not addressed in this decision.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim that his current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to acoustic trauma. The VA medical examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss is not caused by or a result of his active service.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, but his skin cancer is not. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the skin cancer and service.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss or tinnitus disability during service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, including due to noise exposure during military service. The most probative evidence indicated these conditions are unrelated to his military service.

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

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service records and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for stomach, hypertension, heart, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus disabilities were denied as there is no competent medical evidence of current disabilities or a nexus to service.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain service personnel records, treatment records from the USS Valley Forge, and any relevant post-service medical records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be reconsidered based on this new evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including renal insufficiency with hypertension, cataracts, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, hearing loss, and tinnitus render the Veteran unemployable. Therefore, the Board finds that entitlement to individual unemployability is warranted.

The Board found that tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied the claim. The PTSD issue is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from November 2000 to August 2001 is granted as he meets the schedular criteria and there is probative evidence of his unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

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

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, so the Board has dismissed these matters.

The Board has granted service connection for cold injury, right hand and bilateral hearing loss with tinnitus. The Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The claim for TDIU was also denied as the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities alone.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately following service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a left foot condition. The evidence did not meet the criteria for hearing loss as defined by VA regulations, and there was no diagnosed current tinnitus or left foot condition.