Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The case will be reviewed again with consideration of all available records, including VA examinations and private physician opinions.

The Board found no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus related to service, and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and determine if these conditions are related to noise exposure in service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by military service. The Board finds no credible evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his active duty.

The Board denied reopening of previous final decisions regarding service connection for a back disorder and sinusitis, as well as service connection for cervical spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claims were all found to lack new and material evidence.

The Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death from smoke inhalation due to a fire, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case for further action consistent with a November 2010 Memorandum Decision from the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which vacated the previous denial and requires that service connection be granted for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development and examination of the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board is requesting additional information and evidence to determine if the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss disability was permanently made worse during periods of active duty for training. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to incomplete records from a previous VA audiological evaluation.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new and material evidence has been received. However, on de novo review, the claims are denied as there is no probative evidence showing a relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss or tinnitus and his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that no claim was received prior to January 31, 2006.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant's authorized representative prior to a decision being made.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral tinnitus is assigned the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent, and there are no exceptional circumstances to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for a more thorough VA examination, as the current one is not adequate for VA purposes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. Therefore, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus and PTSD are service-connected. The Board also finds that the Veteran has a qualifying chronic disability for his undiagnosed illness claim, but additional development is needed to determine if his multiple joint aches and pains, irritable bowel syndrome, and fatigue are related to this condition.