Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service and is granted service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus, made him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from April 19, 2006, to December 28, 2009.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service, specifically exposure to noise during active duty. Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, as his report of onset during service and continuity since then is credible.

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

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not caused by his military service, and grants service connection for tinnitus. The decision regarding bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to an unavailable hearing transcript and instructed that a new hearing should be scheduled.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is granted, with the Board finding that his current left knee disability is related to in-service parachute jumps. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is also granted, as the Board found credible the Veteran's account of exposure to noise trauma during service and accepted this evidence under the relaxed evidentiary standards afforded combat veterans.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected and his initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has not been granted.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for tinnitus due to new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran. However, the claim is denied as there is no established link between current tinnitus and military service.

The Board has remanded this case to the RO for issuance of a Statement of the Case as to all issues related to service connection and CUE, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and defective vision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss with nerve damage and tinnitus were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service, including during reserve duty. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of hearing loss or tinnitus until many years after discharge from service.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to exposure to acoustic trauma in service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disability because the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU before January 27, 2004 and there was no evidence that he was unemployable solely due to his right leg condition.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, along with his other disabilities, renders him unemployable due to the severity of his symptoms and inability to work in a competitive environment.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The evidence submitted does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a cardiovascular condition, and blood clots. The right ankle disability claim was not addressed as it pertained to revision of an August 1989 rating decision on CUE in failing to adjudicate a right ankle disability claim.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are due to noise exposure during his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the claim.