Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability or tinnitus due to service, and thus denied both claims.

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

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, including noise exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO/AMC for additional development, including scheduling a VA audiological examination and obtaining an opinion regarding any relationship between his claimed disabilities and service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating, including obtaining supplemental opinions from VA examiners regarding the etiology of his disabilities.

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 decision is based on credible evidence of acoustic trauma in service and post-service audiometric findings meeting VA criteria.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current hearing loss or tinnitus as a result of service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is not related to his in-service noise exposure and thus denied service connection for this condition. The claim for tinnitus was also denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current condition and service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective date and increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability are denied as there is no legal merit to the claims. The Board finds that a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability is not warranted.

The Board has conceded the Veteran's exposure to acoustic trauma during service. However, there is no evidence of continuous symptoms or a link between current tinnitus and hearing loss and in-service noise exposure. The VA examiner found that the onset of tinnitus did not correlate with dates of military service and that the Veteran's hearing was normal on separation physical.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his service, with consideration given to the presumption of credibility under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1154(a). Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during service and concluded that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to his military service, with doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's residuals of a traumatic brain injury and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete medical history, inadequate examination report, and need for additional VA treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a new VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus was not related to his military service or a service-connected condition, and the Board found that he did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's current tinnitus began in active service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining additional medical records.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a right ankle disorder and granted service connection for tinnitus. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right index finger disorder, left ankle disorder, headache disorder (migraines), and back disorder are denied. Service connection for hemorrhoids is not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not service-connected as it did not manifest within one year of his separation from service. The Board finds that there is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.