Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a back injury are not shown to have developed as a result of an established event, injury, or disease during active service. Therefore, these claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to noise exposure during active service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from 1979 to 2006, scheduling a VA examination for the duodenal ulcer with gastroesophageal reflux disease, arranging for an opinion on the etiology of hypertension and pes planus, and providing a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted on an extraschedular basis due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and cervical/lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to noise trauma during service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military noise exposure. Service connection for skin cancer is also granted as it is at least as likely as not related to his service due to radiation exposure.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing at the Seattle Regional Office. The issues of entitlement to service connection for anxiety/depression, bilateral tinnitus, and an injury of the right foot and/or right knee are pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus is being remanded for additional development as the VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's assertion of in-service noise exposure and the RO has now conceded this. The case will be readjudicated after the additional development.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for service connection for tinnitus, and thus, the criteria to reopen the previously denied claim are not met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his ability to maintain gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered based on the updated information.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his active duty service. The evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the conditions had their onset during service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Specifically, VA treatment records from Miami VAMC are requested, and a new VA examination and medical opinion are required.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset during service, are not related to any in-service injury or event, and do not meet the criteria for a chronic disability under VA standards. As such, the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be due to hazardous noise exposure during his period of active service, warranting service connection.

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.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete development of records, including missing VA examination results and treatment records. The Veteran's testimony regarding continuous symptoms since service is also considered.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is granted. The appeal regarding the initial compensable evaluation for an original award of VA compensation for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.