Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Veteran is not in need of regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including gunshot wounds, tinnitus, scar, and bilateral hearing loss. The Board denied the claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and retain substantially gainful employment, as his combined evaluation is 80 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from the Veteran's treatment at the VA HCS in Sioux Falls and Cleveland. The Veteran is seeking service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, chronic skin rash, and a lung condition with scarring and calcification.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded to allow for a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, and thus denied her claims for service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not related to his military service. His initial ratings for shin splints of the right and left legs with chondromalacia of the patellae were denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service acoustic trauma, and the genitourinary disorder is not service-connected.,PTSD was manifested by occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks prior to May 31, 2007. Since then, it has been severe.

The Veteran does not have a hearing loss disability of either ear as defined in VA law and regulations, and his claimed tinnitus became manifest years after service and is not otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be causally related to service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there was no in-service noise exposure documented and the onset of symptoms occurred many years after service. The VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not that the conditions are related to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus that is related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran incurred this disability as a result of in-service noise exposure. The other issues regarding residuals of cold weather injuries to hands and feet, and low back disability are dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination, including records from private physicians and VA treatment providers.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, as well as his claim for TDIU, are denied. The Veteran is currently in receipt of a noncompensable rating for tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a videoconference hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a right ankle sprain are pending.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of prostate cancer, bilateral tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, special monthly compensation based on loss of use of creative organ, and bilateral hearing loss with effective dates of November 30, 2006.

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

The case is being remanded for additional development to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are as likely as not related to active duty service.