Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus and his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to incomplete information in the medical records, including a lack of review of the service separation examination report. A new VA audiological examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and an increased rating for his left shoulder disability with scar, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between current symptoms and service. The Veteran's hearing loss was normal at separation from service, and he did not report any ear problems until decades after discharge.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not caused by or related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to deficiencies in the February 2011 VA compensation examiner's opinion, and further development is needed.

The Board found no evidence of a current right ear hearing loss disability under VA standards and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss. For left ear hearing loss, the Board noted that while there was an audiogram showing hearing loss within one year after separation from service, it did not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. The Board also found no evidence of a current tinnitus disability.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service-connected hearing loss and whether it is secondary to noise exposure. The claim will be reconsidered based on this new evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has expanded the issue on appeal to include service connection for tinnitus as due to exposure to herbicides and as secondary to service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's complete service personnel records and VA treatment records, as well as his current contact information. The claims will be remanded for further action.

The Veteran has tinnitus that is as likely as not related to his active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus did not start during service and is not related to his military noise exposure. As a result, service connection for tinnitus was denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure, and service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no credible evidence of in-service noise exposure or a nexus between his current conditions and service. The VA examination did not find any connection.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the appellant's service dates and obtain relevant medical records. The appeal will be remanded for further action.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral foot disability are related to service, with the exception of pes cavus at separation from service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be service-connected, with a rating of 100% effective from the date of claim. PTSD is also granted as service-connected.

The Board found that the Veteran's recurrent tinnitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service and denied his claim. For bilateral hearing loss, the case is REMANDED for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and PTSD have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his active military service.