Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board has scheduled a travel board hearing at the Houston RO for the Veteran. The issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and entitlement to a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability are being remanded due to scheduling conflicts.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is attributable to his period of service and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no credible evidence of a connection between his current conditions and his active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is related to his period of active service. The claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending and requires further examination.

The Veteran does not have current tinnitus that is related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, multiple myeloma, and various skin disorders including basal cell cancer, malignant melanoma, and actinic and seborrheic keratoses. The denial is based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or to exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to service-connected disabilities, and a total rating based on individual unemployability has been granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant currently suffers from bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, which are both related to his time in active duty service. As such, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to his military service, granting his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded to allow for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with support from medical evidence linking these conditions to acoustic trauma during his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is proximately due to his already-service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder was denied. The initial rating for PTSD was granted at 50%. The left ankle disability claim was denied, and the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were reopened.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and erectile dysfunction, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service or at any time thereafter. The Board also found that the erectile dysfunction was not caused by herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss were denied as there is no legal entitlement to such. The criteria for service connection are met, but the current schedular ratings adequately reflect his disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an examination. The RO will make a new request for his service treatment records, including the separation examination report, and schedule him for another VA examination.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the criteria were not met prior to December 27, 2007.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, including physical trauma from boxing and acoustic trauma from duties as a TOW gunner and infantryman.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of multiple joints and tinnitus, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 24, 2003. His TDIU claim is granted effective from that date.