Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of these claims due to missing service treatment records and the Veteran's assertions regarding his tuberculosis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria or a link to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral perforated tympanic membranes, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for service connection for bilateral perforated tympanic membranes was previously denied in 1980 and no new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen it. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by his active service.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of bilateral tinnitus is related to service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for tinnitus at a personal hearing. The Board dismissed the appeal as it pertains to this issue.

The Board found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current tinnitus or nervous condition (including claustrophobia) to his active duty service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus can be decided.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board finds that these conditions are as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is likely caused by in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred as a result of active military service and granted service connection for this condition. The claim for hypertension remains pending due to insufficient evidence to establish its onset during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 26, 2007 for a grant of service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's claim was granted in January 2008 with no earlier effective date due to lack of evidence of a previous claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that he does not have a current disability. The claim for left ear hearing loss disability is granted based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral pes planus as these conditions are found to be causally related to active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in service or due to any incident of service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the evidence currently of record is sufficient to establish the Veteran's entitlement to service connection for tinnitus, and thus grants the claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and tinnitus were denied, and the claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected severe restrictive disease with chronic interstitial scarring on both upper lungs was granted. The effective date of this grant is set at December 12, 2002.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA audiologist examination to determine if his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is assigned a maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, which is the highest available under Diagnostic Code 6260. The Board finds no legal basis for assigning separate ratings for bilateral tinnitus and denies his claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a hearing loss disorder during service or within one year of separation. The criteria for hearing loss under VA regulations were not met in any of the audiometric evaluations conducted during the Veteran's active duty.