Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, prostate disorder, arthritis of major joints other than the knees, low back disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or an in-service event that could be linked to these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings assigned are appropriate.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a need for a VA examination to determine if there is a link between his current conditions and his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, major depression, PTSD, hypertension with CAD, chronic fatigue syndrome, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for tinnitus and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a link between current tinnitus and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated treatment records and a VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Additionally, he may be entitled to TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and tinnitus. The increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, hypertension, and autonomic neuropathy of the gastrointestinal tract with complications of small bowel obstruction are also granted.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied as his disability did not warrant a higher than 30 percent rating. The TDIU issue is also addressed and the RO/AMC should obtain recent VA outpatient treatment records from September 2010 to the present.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to address his claims of hearing loss, tinnitus, and urinary disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied as the evidence did not show a current disability due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he has PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining information from his most recent employer and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his employability, and has therefore remanded the case for additional examination and readjudication.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to outstanding VA treatment records and the need for additional examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year thereafter, and there is no credible evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The VA examiner concluded that it was less likely than not that the current hearing loss and tinnitus were related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to her periods of active duty for training. Service connection was denied for bilateral plantar calluses due to lack of evidence establishing their onset or aggravation during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is incurred in active military service and granted service connection for this disability. The initial rating claim for dysthymic disorder remains pending.