Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between these conditions and his time in active duty. The preponderance of the evidence does not support the claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus require further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, onset, and etiology of any hearing loss and/or tinnitus found to be present.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his complete service treatment records and scheduling appropriate VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to service, with the exception that his hearing loss is not considered a disability for VA purposes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his exposure to acoustic trauma during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the etiology of the appellant's hearing loss and tinnitus, which may be related to his time in the Army National Guard. The case is being remanded for a VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA audiology examination.

The Board has determined that the appellant currently suffers from bilateral tinnitus, which is a result of acoustic trauma sustained in active duty service. As such, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, and he was granted service connection for this condition. His bilateral hearing loss disability has been increased from noncompensable to 30 percent effective October 28, 2009.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current disabilities are related to in-service combat noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and denied both claims.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and migraine headaches were denied. Service connection was granted for PTSD with staged ratings from April 23, 2004 to October 22, 2007, and for advanced osteoarthritis of the cervical spine with a rating of 20 percent effective October 10, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty military service.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability or tinnitus in service and concluded that any current hearing loss is not related to service. The Veteran's tinnitus was first noted many years after service and is unrelated to service.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the current conditions are at least as likely as not caused by or a result of military noise exposure during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence to support a finding that they are related to military noise exposure. As such, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus and unexplained health problems due to Agent Orange exposure are service-connected. However, the Board denied service connection for a back disability as it was not incurred or aggravated during active service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was found to be a contributory cause of his death by cardio respiratory arrest. The appellant is granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitled to burial benefits.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted as the evidence supports that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his military noise exposure during active service, warranting service connection for these conditions.