Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his bilateral knee disabilities and gout, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss in the left ear meeting VA compensation criteria and denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, specifically to repeated exposure to loud noises during combat in Vietnam. The claims for service connection are granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as to determine if these conditions are related to service. The claims will be readjudicated after the examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no credible evidence of in-service noise exposure or current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure and granted service connection. For hypertension, the claim was not fully resolved as secondary service connection requires further evaluation.

The Board is remanding the claims for higher ratings for left knee disability, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, recurrent ear infections, right ankle disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the Veteran does not have a current disability that meets VA compensation criteria. The claim for tinnitus was also denied due to lack of continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or chronic symptoms during service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus were more likely due to post-military causes.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 12, 2008 for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as the claims were received more than one year after separation from service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service due to combat noise exposure, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he claims are related to noise exposure during military service. The VA has requested a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, and his claim was denied.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis has been remanded due to the need for further development and consideration by the Director of Compensation and Pension Service.

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

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete development of his in-service stressors and exposure history, as well as the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise for tinnitus, but denied service connection due to a significant lapse of time between service and post-service medical treatment.