Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral athlete's foot, but denied service connection for asthma and tinnitus. The Veteran's bilateral athlete's foot is found to be related to his military service. However, there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current asthma or tinnitus to his time in service.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service connection for tinnitus and ear condition, thus denying the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss or tinnitus, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and finds that the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure are credible, leading to a finding of chronic and continuous tinnitus since military service. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss as it is related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board found that the grant of service connection for tinnitus was based on clear and unmistakable error, and thus severed it. The Veteran's appeal to restore service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

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

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is as likely as not related to his active duty, and grants service connection for this condition. For hearing loss, although there was no evidence of hearing loss at separation from service, the Board notes the Veteran's credible testimony regarding in-service acoustic trauma and ongoing symptoms since service. The Board also acknowledges that a VA examination did not provide reliable results due to lack of cooperation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Meniere's disease with hearing loss and tinnitus, to include as secondary to a service-connected disability, is being remanded due to the need for clarification of the VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between his claimed in-service injury and current condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and migraine headaches.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for hearing loss and tinnitus, as defined by VA regulations. The service treatment records do not show any complaints or treatment related to these conditions during service. Therefore, the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete STRs, particularly those related to the Veteran's National Guard service from August 2004 to January 2006. The RO is instructed to arrange for an exhaustive search for these records and any further development necessary.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and opinions regarding his hearing loss, tinnitus, and skin disorders.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing and issue a Statement of the Case for his claims of service connection for various conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease at C4-5 and tinnitus are related to her military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as his combined disability rating is only 60 percent, which does not meet the percentage requirement. The level of industrial impairment due to these disabilities is not severe enough to warrant extraschedular consideration or preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board found that the Veteran's account of tinnitus since service is not credible and there is no other evidence relating his tinnitus to service.