Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Veteran likely has tinnitus that is attributable to his active military service, and the Board grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran withdrew from appeal the claims of service connection for a bilateral foot disability and for a lung disability. The case is being remanded to evaluate the claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, as the current medical opinions are not based on consideration of all relevant evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are reasonably shown to be of such nature and severity as to preclude him from participating in any regular substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not originate in service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inability to locate his service medical records and personnel records, which could not be found in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. The VA examiner was unable to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were caused by military service without resorting to speculation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at his local RO.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons and bases in the August 2007 decision, including an inadequate opinion from a VA examiner regarding the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus and military service. The Veteran's claims for service connection are now pending.

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

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are shown to be of such a nature and severity as to preclude the performance of all types of substantially gainful employment, warranting a total evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left wrist disability, skin disorder, and back disorder. The hearing loss, tinnitus, and left hip disorders were not found to be related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were not related to his service, including noise exposure during active duty in Vietnam. The evidence did not show a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of tinnitus during active service or within one year post-service. The Board also noted that the Veteran's current tinnitus is not related to his military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The Board also finds no evidence of a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's in-service exposure to noise likely caused his current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. However, the claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no credible evidence linking the onset of tinnitus to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus in the right ear is assigned a 10 percent rating, which is the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260. There is no legal basis for the assignment of a schedular rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus in the right ear.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity cold injury residuals, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied as there is no competent evidence of current diagnoses or persistent symptoms related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need to locate additional records. The case will be re-adjudicated after further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and increased evaluations for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, but remanded to obtain additional medical records and address representation issues.