Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are also addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not warrant a higher initial rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran does not have hearing loss or tinnitus that is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have onset in service or within one year of service, were not caused by his active service, and therefore denied the claims for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are causally related to his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA regulations.,For his left ear, there is current evidence of hearing loss to an extent recognized as a disability. However, the only competent opinion found in the record indicates that the hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service.

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

The Board found that tinnitus was not incurred or aggravated in active service and denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, including in-service noise exposure. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for various disabilities, including weakness of the left and right upper extremities, scars, tinnitus, numbness of the scalp, a neck scar, hypertension, and left ear hearing loss, are denied as they attempt to vitiate the finality of the February 2003 rating decision assigning an effective date of October 9, 2001.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus to service. Service connection was also not granted for diabetes mellitus as the claim is pending.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his active duty service. The evidence did not establish a nexus between the claimed disabilities and military noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began in service and are related to his military duties. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was withdrawn by the Veteran before a decision could be made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of tinnitus related to active military service or events therein, and therefore denied his claim for service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to noise exposure during his military service, warranting a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is likely due to noise exposure during service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. As such, both claims remain denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder, a back disorder, a dental disability, tinnitus, and a vision disability. The evidence submitted since the final decisions did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is a result of acoustic trauma experienced in active military service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran seeks reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred for private ambulance travel on December 7, 2005. The Board has determined that the claim must be remanded to obtain necessary records and determine whether the Veteran was enrolled in the VA health care system at the time of the emergency treatment.