Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disability and tinnitus, finding no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrence.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active duty service, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his in-service noise exposure and his present conditions. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his active service. The evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, foot fungus, and malaria have been denied as new and material evidence was not received to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a noncompensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise on whether these conditions are related to noise exposure during active military service.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his lumbosacral strain and for TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including medical examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches is being remanded due to insufficient evidence and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, but his bilateral hearing loss cannot be linked to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active duty service, but has not reached a decision on the right ulnar neuropathy claim due to lack of evidence.

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 Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. Similarly, the Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is also related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and records, including post-service audiometric testing from Wright-Patterson AFB in 1980. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are pending.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been rated at 60 percent since April 15, 2010. The Board found that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to acoustic trauma he experienced during his periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). As such, service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected, but his hypertension is denied as secondary to diabetes.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during his active duty service or within one year of separation. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for reopening a previously denied claim for chronic psychiatric disability (claimed as schizophrenia).