Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset in service and is related to his military noise exposure, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability was not found to be incurred or aggravated by active service.,However, the VA examiner opined that tinnitus is related to his military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not etiologically related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection. The issue of bilateral hearing loss was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right leg and ankle disability, and left leg and ankle disability as the Veteran was not on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training at the time of the motor vehicle accident. The conditions are therefore not considered to be incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran is seeking TDIU and service connection for a psychiatric disorder secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional development, including issuance of a statement of the case on service connection for a psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The hypertension and endocarditis issues are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for initial evaluations in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss and 10 percent for tinnitus, as well as his requests for earlier effective dates, have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of these issues by the Veteran during a Board hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss or tinnitus, and thus is not entitled to service connection for these conditions.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board also found that there was no nexus between the Veteran's hypertension and his diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's death was caused by pancreatic cancer, but the Board finds that his service-connected coronary artery disease substantially contributed to his death. As such, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied as the evidence does not support an earlier effective date or higher rating than what has already been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have onset in service or within one year of service, and were not caused or permanently aggravated by his active military service. Therefore, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board found that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and left ear tinnitus are not related to service, as there is no evidence of a chronic condition during service or during an applicable presumptive period. The VA examiner opined that the appellant's bilateral hearing loss was not at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure/acoustical trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not caused by acoustic trauma sustained during service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain relevant medical records and for VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and left radial nerve paresthesia were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions during service or within one year post-service. The VA examinations provided opinions indicating that the onset of both conditions occurred after service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted as the evidence supports a finding that these conditions began in service or are related to his military noise exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently manifested bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not caused by or related to his military service, including exposure to noise during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for a VA psychiatric examination.