Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a threshold shift during service. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were more likely due to occupational noise from construction work after service.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's right great toe injury in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

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 was dismissed as he withdrew his claim of service connection for multiple joints pain due to an undiagnosed illness before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected and he has been granted a 50% rating for his PTSD since January 25, 2010.

The Board finds that the evidence reasonably supports the Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus under both direct and secondary service connection theories of entitlement, and thus grants the appeal.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be service-connected, but his right eye diplopia did not meet the criteria for a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension. Hypertension is found to be due to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) preclude him from performing gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him, warranting a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as the evidence shows that these conditions were incurred during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine if the appellant has PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus related to service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is as likely as not related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, and therefore service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to make a determination on the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The RO will obtain relevant VA treatment records, Social Security Administration (SSA) records, and any private medical records from Dr. Hall. They will also schedule the Veteran for an examination by an ENT physician or audiologist.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is not attributable to service, as there was a significant gap in time between his inservice noise exposure and the onset of symptoms.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in active service and granted service connection for this condition. The claim for service connection for leioblastoma is denied as there is no evidence linking it to his active service or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a current disability during service and the medical opinions indicated these conditions are more likely related to post-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new medical opinion considering all evidence of record, including his pre-service hearing loss and post-service audiological evaluations. The examiner must determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service or not.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability or tinnitus for which service connection can be granted. The preponderance of evidence is against his claims.