Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine conditions, arteriosclerotic heart disease, hearing loss, dacrycocystitis, and other conditions, are of such severity that they preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service and the back disorder is related to service. The Board granted service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records and a new VA examination for tinnitus. The Veteran will be provided another opportunity to submit any relevant medical evidence, including the results of his private hearing test.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition during service or within the applicable presumptive period. The Board also found that the current findings were not related to in-service noise exposure.

The VA has determined that the current 10 percent rating for tinnitus of the right ear is appropriate and that an evaluation in excess of this maximum schedular rating is not warranted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Board then determined that both conditions are likely related to his period of active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current tinnitus was not caused or permanently aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, or any other incident of service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus are being remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide the Veteran with appropriate VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied as there was no pending claim prior to October 19, 2004.

The Board found that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a chronic disability present at separation from service. The VA examiners concluded that the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus were more likely due to civilian noise exposure over forty years after service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have diagnosed arthritis of the right shoulder, and his claims for bilateral defective hearing and tinnitus are denied as there is no current disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical evidence and a need for further examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to noise trauma and a head injury in service, granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are as likely as not due to noise exposure during his active military service, and thus grants service connection for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a need for additional examination and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have not been found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a new VA audiological examination to determine if his current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or related to his military service.