Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an opinion regarding the etiology of his tinnitus.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, both of which are secondary to his service-connected chronic otitis media. The evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact needed to substantiate these claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, and headaches are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have originated during his active service and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his alleged in-service noise exposure. The Veteran will need to provide additional information or evidence, and VA will obtain any outstanding records that may be relevant.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus and heart disability, finding that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection based on continuity of symptomatology or initial diagnosis after service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that there was no current disability and insufficient evidence to establish a link between his in-service noise exposure and his current condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of his claimed condition. The Veteran asserts that he experienced acoustic trauma during service, which led to tinnitus.

The Board determined that the Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus was initially manifest to a compensable degree within one year of his discharge from his second period of active duty, and thus may be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's currently diagnosed tinnitus cannot be dissociated from his active military service and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied as the evidence does not support a link between his claimed conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to military service, specifically due to noise exposure during active duty. As such, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and PTSD due to a lack of sufficient information regarding his reported stressors. The RO/AMC must attempt to obtain private medical records, occupational audiometric testing records, and verify the Veteran's claimed stressors.

The Board determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of increased severity during service. The Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss upon entrance to service did not worsen during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus were previously denied in August 2006. New evidence has been presented, reopening these claims.,Service connection for sleep apnea is not addressed as the issue was withdrawn.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or injury leading to current disabilities, and the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any current conditions are related to service.