Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inextricability of issues and the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and for further development of the Veteran's claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence received since the last denial does not establish a nexus between current disabilities and military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, effectively dismissing these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service records and providing VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed neck disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active duty service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending as additional evidence is needed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of tinnitus, finding that the June 1984 rating decision implicitly denied entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran did not file a timely appeal of this decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that new evidence supports reopening of his claim for hearing loss and that both conditions were aggravated during active duty. Tinnitus was found to be congenital but in-service noise exposure is considered aggravating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus as these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and there is no competent evidence linking his tinnitus to service. As such, both claims are denied.

The Board finds that tinnitus was incurred during active service, and the Veteran's right leg disorder and left knee and leg disorder are not related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or current disability within a year of discharge. The VA examiner concluded that any hearing loss would have been identified at separation and was not due to military noise exposure.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, previously characterized as vertigo. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The VA will provide a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing her claims, obtain all pertinent records, and schedule her for VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding medical records and further examination is needed for some of the claims.

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

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD and the etiology of his tinnitus.