Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss disability and granted his claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic tinnitus. The case is now remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted as the evidence supports that his ringing in ears started during active duty.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have hearing loss or tinnitus during his service and denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for discontinuance of withholding of military retirement pay from VA disability benefits is denied as the program does not allow retroactive payments prior to its effective date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing acuity disorders, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, Labrynthitis, and Meniere's disease is being remanded due to inadequate examination. The Veteran will be provided with another VA examination to determine the presence of these conditions and their relationship to his active duty service.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are granted as they are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.,There is no evidence of a current diagnosis or residuals from malaria. The Veteran's claim for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining VA audiological examination records and attempting to obtain audiometric test results from a Roanoke, Virginia Hospital.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no current disability. The claim for diabetes mellitus was also denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and active duty service or Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the VA audiology examination report is inadequate for rating purposes and must be returned to the audiologist for clarification. The claims are remanded due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the hearing loss disability was caused by active service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any tinea pedis and bilateral tinnitus. The claims will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not develop during service or is otherwise related to service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected hearing disabilities do not render him unemployable, and thus denied his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or are otherwise related to service, leading to a denial of these claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the relationship between his tinnitus and service, as well as the current severity of his left arm disability. The claims will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus disability is more likely than not incurred during his period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) in 1960. The hearing loss claim will be addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's military noise exposure is at least as likely as not a significant cause of these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have begun during service and has continued since, meeting the criteria for service connection.