Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and providing the Veteran with VCAA notice.

The Board found no evidence of a relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and his military service, and denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 19, 2003 for the award of service connection for bilateral tinnitus was denied by the Board. The effective date is set at the date of receipt of his claim on February 19, 2003.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development, including VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to noise exposure during active military service. Service connection was also granted for tinnitus, which is also linked to noise exposure in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is secondary to his service-connected hearing loss and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for scarring of the left inner thigh is denied. His claim for tinea cruris, status post staphylococcus aureus infection, and its associated groin scarring are granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and thus granted service connection for this condition. However, hypertension was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to active service, and therefore denied. Service connection for tendonitis of both elbows could not be established due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions, and the Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus. With application of the doctrine of reasonable doubt, the Board finds that there is at least a 50% likelihood that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure during his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation during service and that the pre-existing conditions did not worsen. The Board also found that the current hearing loss in the right ear is not related to service exposure.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development due to failure to provide proper VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred or aggravated by active service and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and tinnitus are not service-connected, as they were not caused or aggravated by his active duty service nor any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death.