Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board denied the appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus, a left shoulder disorder, and a low back disorder. The VA medical examination did not find any chronic conditions related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for a VA examination to address the etiology of his hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient medical evidence to decide the claims on appeal and a suggestion of a nexus between the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of current disability within one year post-service. The Veteran's current conditions are attributed to presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) rather than military noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and folliculitis due to additional development being necessary.

The Board has determined that the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise exposure in service, and thus grants service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting his claims for these conditions.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have been incurred during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in significant occupational and social impairment, preventing him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment. His combined disability rating is at least 70 percent since November 15, 2002.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is currently rated at the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 6260, and no higher rating can be assigned.

The Board found no relationship between the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and active duty service, and denied his claim for service connection. The same was true for his tinnitus.

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

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and a low back disorder. The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, while his hearing loss and low back disorder are not.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims due to his withdrawal of the issues concerning increased evaluations for the scar residuals of a splenectomy and recurrent ganglion cyst.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, which manifested during his active military service and has been continuous since. Bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus, which he contends are related to his military service. The VA examiner found that the current hearing loss was less likely caused by or the result of his military service, but indicated some ambiguity regarding the origin of his tinnitus.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have begun in service and is considered incurred during active military service, granting service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The low back condition, left eye smoke damage, and scratchy voice (claimed as sore throat) issues are pending further examination and evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology, and concluding that any current disabilities were less likely related to military service.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The Veteran's current conditions are considered to be a result of his in-service noise exposure, but the evidence does not establish a clear link between his in-service noise exposure and his current disabilities.