Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to insufficient medical evidence and the need for further development on a secondary basis.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claims, and there is no competent medical evidence of current disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's current conditions are found to be related to his in-service noise exposure, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD was granted, as it had its onset in service and is related to his reported combat experiences. The other issues remain unresolved.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran likely has hearing loss and tinnitus that are attributable to his active military service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during his active duty or within one year of separation. The VA examiner found no link between the conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and is now granted. The claim for service connection for tinnitus remains pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to insufficient nexus evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service, specifically noise exposure during combat in Vietnam. The Veteran will be provided another VA audiological evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, specifically exposure to noise during basic and advanced individual training.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for direct service connection for tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing chronic symptoms in service or continuity of symptomatology since separation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests to reopen his claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no new and material evidence. The September 2004 denial remains final.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is likely due to noise exposure during his National Guard service and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss in the right ear are service-connected, with the latter being aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his low back disability, current severity of his service-connected left thumb scar and digital nerve damage, and current severity of his bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran also requested a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not service connected due to lack of evidence showing a direct link between his in-service head injury and current symptoms.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded due to the need to adjudicate a claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a February 1970 rating decision that denied service connection for tinnitus. The effective date issue remains pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service, including specifically to noise exposure in service. The claim for bilateral ankle pain was remanded by the Board.