Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's current tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no current evidence of hearing loss as defined by VA standards. The Veteran's assertions regarding in-service acoustic trauma were not supported by competent medical evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled Board hearing. The case will be returned to the RO to arrange for a new hearing.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have chronic tinnitus as a result of in-service noise exposure and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus, finding that his current tinnitus is related to his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) and a left inguinal hernia. The Veteran was not granted any new or material evidence to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted. The low back disability claim has been reopened, but the service connection for left L5 radiculopathy remains unclear due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are evaluated at 10% each, resulting in a combined rating of 10%. The medical evidence does not demonstrate that these conditions alone render the Veteran unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus was denied because there is no evidence of a continuity of symptomatology since his period of active military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have tinnitus during service and that it is less likely than not related to any in-service noise exposure. For hypertension, the claim was remanded due to insufficient development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence to show that any of these conditions were pre-existing or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected disabilities is 40%, which does not meet the threshold criteria for schedular consideration of a TDIU. The Board finds that, considering all evidence of record, including the Veteran's age and non-service-connected conditions, his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Board's June 29, 2010 decision is being vacated due to the failure to consider relevant evidence identified by the Veteran.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for five issues related to service connection and evaluations of various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy, and PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus was denied as the disability is already rated at its maximum level.,The status of her adjustment disorder and cervical spine disorders remains unclear due to lack of recent VA examinations.

The Board finds that service connection is granted for a headache disorder, but the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and a disability of the cervical spine must be remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than April 17, 2009 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is not warranted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are attributable to service, resulting in a grant of service connection for both conditions.