Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

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

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has not decided whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for malaria, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and evaluation of the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as these conditions may be related to service-connected labyrinthitis or Meniere's disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the previous examination reports and a need for further development, including an opinion on whether hearing loss or tinnitus are related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are directly related to his service, with exposure to noise from aircraft. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to noise exposure during his military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hearing loss, and tinnitus was denied on the merits. The claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for amputation of toes of the right foot was also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability determination records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss or tinnitus, as well as any psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and depression.

The appellant's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is assigned a maximum disability rating of 10 percent, and there is no legal basis for the assignment of separate 10 percent ratings for tinnitus in each ear.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service, but his hearing loss is not due to in-service noise exposure and does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they otherwise related to such service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there was no current evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD. The Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD based on in-service stressors and his current symptoms are related to these events.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been withdrawn. The appeal regarding the acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) is being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased initial evaluations for tinnitus and hearing loss were denied as there is no legal basis to assign higher ratings, given the current maximum schedular evaluation available.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to in-service noise exposure and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not related to service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, including noise exposure. The preponderance of evidence is against finding a connection.