Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his military noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his period of active service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service. The VA examinations did not find any nexus between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The evidence showed verified in-service combat-related stressors and a current diagnosis of PTSD.,Service connection was also granted for bilateral hearing loss, but the status of this issue is unknown.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, bilateral elbow disorder, and right shoulder/arm disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and pilonidal cyst are on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel and medical records from the Claimant's National Guard service. A VA examination is also required to determine if his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his period of active duty training (ACDUTRA) in June 1964 to December 1964.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service, but denied his claim for PTSD as there is no credible evidence of a stressor related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with proper duty-to-assist notice. A VA examination will be conducted to assess the severity of his PTSD and its impact on employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have first manifested during active service, and the Board granted his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a chronic left ear hearing loss during service or within one year of discharge. The VA examiner opined that the current left ear hearing loss is less likely related to military noise exposure and more likely due to natural progression over time. Therefore, service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied.

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

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not etiologically related to exposure to noise in service. The Board finds that the Veteran did not have chronic symptoms of hearing loss or tinnitus during service, nor do they currently exist.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, with consideration given to continuity of symptoms since service. The appeal is granted for both conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus. However, the claim for left ear hearing loss remains denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria. The claim for tinnitus also remains denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including whether they are related to service or any periods of ACDUTRA.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unemployable due to their severity, as he is capable of performing menial work.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities meet the percentage rating standards for TDIU, and a vocational consultant has indicated that his service-connected hearing loss rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation at the very latest as of June 1, 2006. As such, the Veteran's claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has granted an effective date of March 10, 1976 for the Veteran's award of service connection for tinnitus rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Veteran's claim for non-service connected pension prior to March 2011 was denied as he did not meet the criteria of 'permanently and totally disabled' due to his disabilities. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of permanent total disability, particularly given the Veteran's age and employment status.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding insufficient evidence of a link between current disabilities and his military service.