Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, as it was first manifested during his active duty and is etiologically related to noise exposure incurred during service. However, there is insufficient evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's tinnitus and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss and determine the nature and etiology of any tinnitus. The case will be reviewed by the RO after this development.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which he attributes to exposure to acoustic trauma in service. The case is REMANDED due to the need for an appropriate VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing at the RO in St. Petersburg, Florida due to the Veteran's request.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has withdrawn the claim of service connection for PTSD due to the Veteran's withdrawal. The low back disorder is granted as a direct result of in-service heavy lifting. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, both found to be related to noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for increased rating and service connection claims. The maximum schedular rating of 40 percent has been granted, but no higher as the disability is rated based on an amputation level.

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

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development, including a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's ability to work due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is being returned to the Board for review after additional evidence is obtained.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for glaucoma, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, hepatitis B, and erectile dysfunction (due to Agent Orange exposure) are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that there is no direct link between the claimed conditions and active service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports, requiring further development.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination, as well as the retrieval of recent VA treatment records.

The evidence does not show that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service or any service-connected condition, and a VA examination found no etiological link between the current disability and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for alcoholism and TDIU due to conflicting evidence regarding the onset of his alcoholism, as well as new arguments raised by the Veteran's representative. A VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's alcoholism is secondary to his service-connected depression or erectile dysfunction.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim for service connection.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus did not have its onset during service and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied.