Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss or tinnitus that qualifies as a disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the appeal for additional development, including obtaining service records and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's hearing loss is related to his military noise exposure.

The Board found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to his active duty service, and thus denied these claims.

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

The Veteran has been granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his military noise exposure during service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus. The hearing loss claim remains pending as further development is required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD have been granted. The Veteran is currently assigned a 70 percent evaluation for his PTSD.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as VA medical records are missing or unavailable.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's case is remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities. If deemed necessary, the case will then be referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extra-schedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hand disorder is due to a service injury and granted his claim for service connection. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and low back disorder due to further development being required, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examination.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD. The Veteran's appeal also includes an application for TDIU, which was not addressed by the RO. The Court ordered further action to determine if the Veteran raised a claim for TDIU and whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, loss of sense of smell, and respiratory disability are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of tinnitus and finds no competent or credible evidence to support his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. As such, both claims are denied.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the appellant's periods of service and to obtain any outstanding medical records. The claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus will be remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred during his active service in the Navy. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left knee has been manifested by mild degenerative arthritis shown by x-ray evidence, extension to 0 degrees, and limitation of flexion at most to 120 degrees with subjective complaints of pain.,From June 19, 2007, the Veteran's left knee has demonstrated mild instability.

The Board has granted the reopening of the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus and determined that it was incurred during service.,Service connection for a skin disability, claimed as due to herbicide exposure in service, remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus to service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to noise exposure during active service and grants his claim for service connection.