Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his active duty service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not aggravated by his service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be the result of noise exposure during active military service, leading to a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and the Board finds that it is more likely than not that his tinnitus began during service, as evidenced by intermittent tinnitus noted in 1976 after separation from service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are more likely than not incurred during his military service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he attributes to noise exposure in his duties as an electronics mechanic aboard aircraft carriers. The case is REMANDED due to insufficient evidence of a current disability and the need for additional audiometric testing.

The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and his bilateral hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable rating. The appeal for these issues is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board Hearing before an active Veterans Law Judge.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or injury. The September 2006 VA examination concluded that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's hearing loss and/or tinnitus were related to military noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, but were more likely caused by noise exposure during his civilian employment. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, hypertension (secondary to diabetes mellitus), a psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), sleep apnea (secondary to depression or PTSD), and COPD (secondary to diabetes mellitus). The decision also declined to reopen the claim for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. However, new evidence has been submitted that may support reopening of his claims for skin disorder, seizure disorder, and peripheral neuropathy of all extremities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's notice of disagreement regarding her September 2004 denial for service connection was not timely filed, and thus the appeal is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were granted service connection, but no compensable rating was assigned for the hearing loss.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be at least as likely as not due to acoustic trauma during service. The skin disorder, diagnosed as dermatitis herpetiformis, is found to be related to celiac disease (previously seen by the dermatology clinic and associated with diabetes mellitus), rather than to the service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional VA examinations and opinions to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, a right foot disorder, and depression.

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

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The claim for PTSD resulted in a rating of 50 percent.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the appellant's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as whether these conditions are related to service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.