Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, and the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 were not met.

The Veteran's recurrent tinnitus is found to be incurred in service, with the Board resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board found that the appellant's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and are not otherwise causally related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest during service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or any other service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to provide a new VA examination due to the lack of access to his claims file during the previous examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all three issues has been withdrawn.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset in service or due to any incident of service. The evidence does not support a finding of chronic hearing loss during service, nor is there sufficient continuity of symptomatology post-service to establish service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need for updated VA medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities, and there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service. Therefore, service connection for both disabilities cannot be established.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The RO denied service connection on the grounds that there was no clinical diagnosis of these conditions during service, and the current diagnoses were not related to noise exposure in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current tinnitus did not begin during his military service and is less likely related to noise exposure in service. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's tinnitus was more likely due to post-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. The decision found that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The evidence does not show a chronic condition during service or within one year of discharge from service, nor is there any competent medical opinion linking these conditions to service.

The Board found that tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate rationale in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as they likely pre-existed service. The appeal is denied.

The Board has denied all issues on appeal except the claim for a higher initial evaluation for tinnitus, which is addressed in the decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected back injury and for service connection for tinnitus.