Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

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

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in, or caused by, his military service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria or showing a link to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not begin during his active duty service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a hearing loss or tinnitus due to service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's income did not exceed the maximum annual pension rate for a veteran with one dependent in 2008, allowing payment of a nonservice-connected pension from January 2008 to December 2008. The issues regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left ear disability, tinnitus, schizophrenia, and stomach ulcers. The evidence received since the previous denials is considered cumulative and does not provide a basis to reopen any of these claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a link between these conditions and the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an adequate examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to issues regarding service connection and exposure history.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is able to perform a sedentary job in a quiet location with face-to-face contact.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether hearing loss and tinnitus played any role in causing or contributing to the cause of death, including whether symptoms of imbalance and vertigo were related to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus effective September 21, 2004. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and hiatal hernia with GERD are currently rated at 30 percent each.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a compensable level of disability at any point since October 2007. For his tinnitus claim, the case is remanded to obtain a new VA examination to determine if objective or 'clicking' tinnitus is related to service.

The Board has granted an effective date of February 9, 2004 for the award of service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's original claim encompassed both hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board found no evidence of tinnitus in service or within one year after separation, and concluded that the Veteran's current tinnitus is not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and low back disability are related to his service, with the tinnitus likely due to acoustic trauma during combat in Vietnam and the low back disability linked to an incident involving a drop from a helicopter. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claims were reopened based on new evidence but the conditions were not found to be related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bilateral tinnitus has been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of the case.