Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including asking the Veteran to report his employment history and clarifying whether he is currently employed. If unemployed, a VA examination will be conducted to determine if service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or retaining gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to have been incurred in service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current tinnitus is of service origin and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus was not related to his service, and denied his claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus as there was no current evidence of the claimed condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and a skin disorder.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims for service connection, including VA treatment records, private medical records, employment records, and SSA disability records.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The current VA examination report is deemed inadequate as it does not account for the conversion of pre-induction audiometric findings from ASA units to ISO units, nor does it provide sufficient rationale for its conclusions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are directly related to his active service, including exposure to noise from aircraft engines and flight line activities.

The Veteran's current tinnitus has been present since his active duty service and the Board finds that it is related to his inservice exposure to acoustic trauma. As a result, the claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be as likely as not related to his military service. The respiratory disorder, diabetes mellitus, and obstructive sleep apnea are all found to be less likely than not related to his military service. The vision disorder is also found to be less likely than not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to acoustic trauma during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or related to his military service, as there was no evidence of such conditions during service. The VA examiner concluded that any current hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely than not related to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, as new evidence received since the April 2006 denial relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims. The Veteran is now entitled to a full merits review of his claims.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability in service and denied the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, with the evidence being at least in equipoise for both conditions. Therefore, service connection is granted.

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

The Board has dismissed the appeal of the issue regarding entitlement to service connection for a right knee condition due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no credible evidence linking current tinnitus to service, including noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the previous VA audiological examination. A new examination is required to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's current tinnitus and his military service.

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