Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, left hip, and left shoulder. Service connection is denied for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic obstructive lung disease, hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease and menisci tear of the left knee was also denied.

The Board has determined that further VA audiological evaluations are needed to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for hearing loss as a disability for VA purposes. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the veteran's active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, including exposure to loud noise in service. As a result, the claims for service connection for these conditions have been denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and found that the Veteran's left hip disability is related to his service-connected lumbosacral degenerative joint disease. The bilateral hearing loss claim was not granted as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not show a relationship to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, and granted his claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of a right middle finger scar.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The Board granted service connection based on direct evidence of a link between the conditions and military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, but the Board finds that they are related to service based on continuity of symptomatology. Service connection is granted for tinnitus, but not for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as consideration of lay evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor could they be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim was denied.

The Veteran's hearing loss and neuropsychiatric disorder are service-connected, but tinnitus is not. The Board granted the claims for hearing loss and a neuropsychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's combined evaluation for service-connected disabilities is 80 percent from June 20, 2000 to June 10, 2004, and 90 percent from June 11, 2004. The criteria for assignment of an increased combined evaluation are not met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service acoustic trauma and granted service connection for this condition. The initial compensable rating claim for the left ankle disability remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as incurred during active military service in the RVN, but denied service connection for a skin disability and right knee disability on the basis of lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, right shoulder bursitis, and lumbosacral strain have been granted. The Veteran is now rated at a 10% disability rating for his right shoulder bursitis and a 10% disability rating for his lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hearing loss in the left ear and tinnitus have been denied. The Veteran is already receiving the maximum schedular evaluation available for these disabilities.

The Veteran's heart disability, including hypertensive heart disease, was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not presumed to have been incurred therein. Service connection for a left leg disability secondary to the heart disability is denied as there is no competent evidence linking such disability to service.,There is no medical evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability or any link between any incident of service, including claimed acoustic trauma, and the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss.