Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's claims of service connection were denied as there was no evidence linking his current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is causally related to his active duty service, and the Board finds that service connection for tinnitus is warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his ability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be readjudicated after obtaining any outstanding treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that can be linked to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service noise exposure, and service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining his complete service personnel records and a new VA addendum medical opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are not related to his military service. The evidence does not establish exposure to herbicides or other conditions during service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus did not begin during his military service, nor were they caused by any in-service noise exposure. The respiratory condition, chronic nosebleeds, thumb nail condition, skin condition, and gum condition are also not supported by evidence of record as being related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II as secondary to herbicide exposure and for tinnitus. The Veteran's claims are now in full resolution.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and TDIU due to service-connected disability. The RO must issue a Statement of the Case on these issues.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus commenced during active military service following acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a video conference hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right ear sensorineural hearing loss and left ear sensorineural hearing loss were not manifested during his active military service, are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service, and is not shown to have manifested within one year from the date of his separation from the military. The Board also found that the Veteran's current tinnitus was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for a mid and low back disorder including degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracolumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development, including an examination and consideration of whether the Veteran can secure or follow substantially gainful employment given his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for PTSD and tinnitus service connection have been granted, with the effective dates set at May 15, 2008 for PTSD and May 26, 2010 for tinnitus.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disability related to service, and his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are directly related to service. The claim for type II diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are related to his military service, specifically exposure to loud noise during active duty. As such, the Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during active duty service, and the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be established.