Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left and right ear hearing loss, as well as his tinnitus, had their onset during a period of Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA) in March and April 1980. Therefore, service connection is granted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD with bipolar 2 disorder and hypomanic (previously evaluated as schizophrenia, unspecified), was granted effective from November 18, 2009. His claim for service connection for tinnitus was also granted effective from the same date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a direct link between his claimed conditions and his military service or exposure to herbicides. The nerve damage is attributed to chemotherapy, not the service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for clarification regarding his desire to continue his appeal on the issue of bilateral hearing loss. The claim for tinnitus will be remanded as well, and a statement of the case must be issued for this issue.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if his hypertension is related to service-connected PTSD, tinnitus, and migraine headaches. The TDIU issue also needs to be addressed.

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's VA medical records to ensure all relevant evidence is considered in his claims for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by service, as his pre-existing conditions did not worsen during service. The VA examinations concluded that any current hearing loss was more likely due to occupational noise exposure after service, and tinnitus was less likely related to military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, specifically bilateral hearing loss. However, the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service and service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that there is no credible evidence of a tinnitus disability in service or for many years thereafter, and the Veteran does not currently have hearing loss to an extent recognized as a disability. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including conceded noise exposure.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted it. The issue of tinnitus is addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.,The Veteran has facial scars that do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to noise exposure during active duty service. Right ear hearing loss was not present in service or until years thereafter and is not etiologically related to active duty service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his military service.,Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal for higher schedular evaluations for tinnitus and PTSD as well as a TDIU was denied. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent for tinnitus has been assigned, which is the highest available under VA regulations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a sinus condition, and lumbar strain with mild degenerative disc disease and L5-S1 radiculopathy. The evidence did not show chronic conditions related to these disabilities during or after service.

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 military service.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a pulmonary disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to have originated during his active service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. For tinnitus, the Board finds that it also originated during his active service.