Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board has ordered a remand due to inadequate opinions from the same VA examiner and requires another examination to determine if the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service and granted service connection for this condition. However, the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to his military service, specifically to repeated exposure to excessively loud noise during combat. As a result, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to acoustic trauma during active service. The claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss remains pending and will be remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for both tinnitus and the skin disorder claim, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The right shoulder strain and low back disability issues are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during active duty or within one year of separation. The VA examiner found the Veteran's post-service work environment to be more significant in causing his hearing issues than military noise exposure.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's credible statements, including those from fellow service members who observed ringing in his ears during service, support a finding of current tinnitus related to military noise exposure. Therefore, the claim is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, arranging for audiological and psychological examinations, and providing a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss, tinnitus, and carpal tunnel syndrome are related to his service and grants these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete evidence and a need for clarification of the Veteran's service connection claim.

The appellant's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable due to their severity.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The claim for tinnitus has been reopened, but the evidence does not establish a link between the current condition and service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and GERD with hiatal hernia due to the equipoise of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has granted the claim of service connection for tinnitus, finding that it was incurred in or aggravated by active duty service. The low back disability issue is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its relationship to service-connected pes planus.